A Secret Past Revealed
by KuramasGal99
Summary: Kenshin has always been secretive about his past with everyone he has every been close too...for good reason. His past has many secrets, and with a mysterious message hinting that a member of his family still lives, he leaves with Kaoru in tow to confront a piece of his past and to see if his nephew truly did survive like the message claims. Rurouni Kenshin X Naruto. KK; NaruHina.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! I came across something interesting when I was looking up the word for nephew in Japanese, it is listed as oi….so to prevent confusion between the use of oi as _hey_ and oi as in _nephew_ the few times that I will use it meaning nephew I will write it as oi-kun. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 1

Kenshin watched as Yahiko ran ahead of him through the outer gates to the Kamiya compound, eager to get ready for his training session. Kenshin had promised to spar with the boy after dinner, he was curious to see how far the boy was coming along under Kaoru's tutelage.

"He is so energetic today! To bad he wasn't like this for every training session." Kaoru said with a laugh.

"He is that Kaoru-dono, that he is!" He said a content smile on his face. As they approached the gate, Kenshin paused. His gut was issuing a warning of danger seconds before he heard the slight whistle of an incoming weapon.

"Kaoru-dono get down!" He exclaimed as he dropped the basket of vegetables he was carrying to grab Kaoru, pushing her down onto the side of the road as he graceful turned in a crouch, his right hand flying to the hilt of his Sakabatou. The dull thunk of metal hitting wood barely registering with him as he scanned the area for danger. His bright violet eyes scanned carefully, but nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. After another moment he slowly stood up, his hand never leaving his sword.

"Kaoru-dono, get inside quickly. I am going to investigate." He said, casting a stern look to the woman behind him as she too got to her feet.

"Kenshin, what is going on?" Kaoru asked, worry evident in her voice. "Who is trying to attack us?"

"I do not know." He said. As he started to turn back he saw it. A kunai with a letter attached to it was imbedded in the wood that framed the gate to the compound. But this kunai was different from the ones Misao and the others used, and eerily familiar. Moving forward quickly he easily pried the kunai out of the wood and untied the note. What he read next nearly made his heart stop.

 _ **Her legacy yet lives. His will of fire burns brightly, hidden among the leaves. Proof lies written for all to see on the great bridge in the land of waves.**_

"Kenshin, what's wrong?! What does that note say?!" Kaoru asked as she snached the note and kunai out of Kenshin's grasp. Confusion was written all over her face as she read the note for herself. "Wh-what does this mean?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"It means I must go. I need to find the truth and see it with my own eye's, that I do." He replied. His voice quiet, his eyes hidden by his bangs. He moved quickly, entering the small Kamiya compound, skirting around the edge of the dojo he headed towards the house.

"Your leaving! Why?!" Kaoru asked as she chased after him. "Please Kenshin, please tell me what is going on!" She called out as she chased him through the gate. Her panicked voice catching both Megumi's and Sano's attention.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Sano asked, his brows furrowed in concern as he walked towards Kenshin. "Someone looking for a fight?"

"Someone threw this at us with this note attached. He won't tell me what it means. All he would say is that he has to leave." Kaoru said as she shoved the kunai and note at Sano as she rushed passed him, hot on Kenshin's heals. Sano looked down at the note as Megumi walked up to him, reading the note over his shoulder.

Kaoru ran down the engawa, almost sliding on the polished wood as she turned the corner as she headed for Kenshin's room. She slowed down as she approached, the shoji stood open and she could see him inside, kneeling on a cushion a book in one hand and a picture in the other. "Kenshin….may I come in?" She asked quietly.

He gave a slight nod without looking up. As she approached him he finally spoke. "There is much of my past you do not know Kaoru-dono. I must face a part of my past that pains me greatly and find out the reason why I was lied to so long ago, that I must." He said quietly, his eyes never leaving the photo. It's edges worn from much handling.

"Kenshin please let me help. Let _us_ help. We are your friends, you know you can trust us!" Kaoru pleaded, drawing his attention from the photo that he held in his hands.

He studied her for a minute, his violet eyes held a sad far away look to them, a look she had only seen when he was about to tell her about the Bakumatsu. "I have told you only a little about my past. This goes back farther than anything that I have told you before." He said softly as he handed her the photo. "I was born to a prestigious clan, in a village that was destroyed a long time ago. I had an older sister, who was strong and beautiful and who had a husband that while he was feared greatly by his enemies, was kindness itself to those he cherished." He said, his voice sounding far away. "They were to have a baby, a son, when a great tragedy befell their village. I received a message from the village shortly after informing me of the incident. I was told that they had perished protecting the village and that the baby, my oi-kun, had not survived."

Kaoru listened quietly as she studied the photo. Her eyes were drawn the the woman, her long red hair was pinned up with flowers, her wedding kimono was stunning and looked like the ones woman of nobility wore. Her bright violet eyes were shining with happiness and a large, sunny smile graced her face telling all the world that she was just too happy to care to look refined or modest at that moment. Her eyes then turned to the man. He was a head taller than the woman, he too wore wedding attire appropriate for nobility but what caught her eye was his coloring. His hair was a bright and sunny yellow. Much like the flowers that her mother used to grow when she was a small child. His eyes were a bright azure blue like the summer sky, and he too wore a smile. Although it was smaller and more modest, it still spoke of the genuine happiness that he felt.

"They were a beautiful couple, they looked so happy." Kaoru said quietly, handing back the treasured photo.

"They were happy, that they were." Kenshin said as he carefully slipped the photo into the small olive green book he was holding. "Nee-san wrote me when they learned of the baby. They were so excited to be starting a family. And that is why I must go. If that message is correct then my oi-kun survived."

"I will go with you. No arguing." Kaoru said, giving him a stern look. She watched as his eyes hardened slightly and opened his mouth to argue. "I don't want to hear it's too dangerous or any of that!" She growled, her temper rising. "You know I can handle myself well enough and this isn't some treck to handle a bad guy so don't start!"

Kenshin stared at her, his eyes softening again. "Alright, alright!" He said with a small chuckle, raising his hands in front of himself in a placating manner. "You may go. Just you though. I do not know what to expect and we will draw too much attention to ourselves if we all go, that we will." He said as he turned back to gathering his few belongings. Of which was mostly a few old scrolls. "There are other things that I may need to explain that I do not wish for everyone to know anyway. Go gather what you need. We travel light, it will take ten days to reach the land of waves and if the proof is truly there then it will be three more to the village where my oi-kun lives."

"Alright, just give me a few minutes and I will be ready!" She said as she left the room, moving quickly. Once she was in her room she wasted no time, grabbing just a change of clothes, a comb, an extra ribbon for her hair along with a little money that she quickly stuffed into a small bag. She was out of her room and back to Kenshin's room in a matter of minutes.

It took them ten extra minutes to leave the dojo as Sano, Megumi and Yahiko peppered them with questions. But Kenshin, having taken back the note and the kunai, kept the reasons for his leaving to himself. He only offered the knowledge that there would be no enemy to fight so there was no need for them all to go and Kaoru was just going with him to keep him company. He was grateful that Kaoru followed his lead, and did not offer any of the personal information he had shared with her.

Once they finally left the dojo, it took them several hours traveling along a lightly used coastal road to find the small port just south of Tokyo. There were a couple of small merchant ships at anchor in the small bay but the majority of the vessels, both large and small, were for fishing. The sounds of hard working fishermen and their families off loading the day's catch could be heard well before they arrived. They watched as small carts over loaded with fish passed them, going up a larger road to the village that could be seen on the other side of the dunes that they were currently traversing. Along the bay there were a couple large docks with good sized warehouses attached, presumably for the bit of merchant trade that came through the area as it was slightly separated from the current hub of activity.

A few minutes later they approached the warehouses. Kenshin walked passed the door marked 'Office' on the first warehouse and stopped when he came to the small alley way between the two structures. ' _Now where was it that Hiko-shishou went?'_ He thought as he looked down the alley way.

Kaoru looked at him curiously. "Kenshin, what are you looking for?" She asked as she watched as he continue to look down the alley way with a look of concentration on his face as if he was trying to remember something important.

"Oh, nothing really." He replied as he turned towards her. "Would you do me a favor Kaoru-dono and see if maybe one of those kindly looking fishermen would sell us a fish or two for our dinner tonight? I doubt that we will be going much farther." He said as he handed her a couple of the coins he had on him. He knew it wasn't much, but hoped that it might get them a fish, and it would serve to keep Kaoru occupied for the next few minutes. Something he need if he were to get them passage on the next boat to wave.

Taking the coins she looked at him a bit suspiciously as she answered. "Sure, I'll be back in a few minutes. You'll wait here for me won't you?"

"Of course Kaoru-dono. When you get back we will find ourselves a place to set up a small cook fire and cook us something to eat, that we will." He replied, doing his best to ease any suspicions or doubts that she might have.

"Well….ok. I'll be right back." She answered as she turned and walked away, moving back around the warehouse as she left.

Once she was gone, he moved quickly down the small alleyway. ' _Now, where was it._ ' He thought as he carefully studied the walls of the warehouses on either side of himself. It didn't take him long to find a spot on the wooden walls that looked slightly different than the rest of the wall. Rubbing his hand over it slightly, he noticed that it felt like there was some sort of engraving in the wood that could not been seen. ' _It has been a very long time since I had to do this...but let's see if I still got it._ ' He thought as he carefully channeled his energy and raised his right hand in front of himself, keeping his index finger and middle finger extended while curling the rest into his palm as he formed the earth release seal. "Release!" He said, keeping his voice low as to not attract attention. After a couple of tense seconds the wall before him flickered and then changed revealing an intricately carved solid wood door. He carefully slid the door open to reveal a set of stairs descending below the warehouse. The stairway was dimly lit by a torch at the top and one at the bottom. He carefully entered the stairway, sliding the door closed behind him and descended.

Once at the bottom he found what would appear to be an ordinary shipping office. Behind the paper strewn desk sat an older looking man who was eyeing him warily. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes, I believe you can. I need to book passage for two people on the next boat to Nami no Kuni." Kenshin said, his voice serious but not unfriendly.

"Nami no Kuni huh." The older man said as he eyed him for another long moment. "You don't look like a shinobi." He said as he continued to eye him.

"Looks can be deceiving. Whether I am shinobi or not doesn't truly matter. What matters is the fact that I am in your office not the one up stairs. It is urgent that I get passage to Nami no Kuni on the next ship, that it is."

The older man eyed him for another moment before letting out a sigh and opening one of the drawers in his desk. "Well gaki," he said as he pulled out a folder of papers "you're in luck. The next ship leaves at dawn. We just unloaded her this afternoon." Carefully flipping through pages of the folder he pulled one out. Picking up a brush and ink, he quickly filled out the form and placed it in front of Kenshin and handed him the brush. "I know, not the most elegant way to do things, but you know how it is, do as the locals do and all that." He said as Kenshin signed the paperwork and handed over the pouch of coins he had on him.

Once that was done to the older man's satisfaction he handed him two slips of parchment. "Give these to Seikou-Taicho. He'll know what their for. Just remember, the ship leaves at dawn and Seikou-Taicho is a stickler for leaving on time." He said and turned back to his paper work, effectively dismissing the red haired man in front of him.

Kenshin turned and left the office, carefully tucking the slips of parchment into his kimono. The passage was booked and they would be on their way at dawn.

* * *

Just as he had said, they arrived in a bustling port the morning of their tenth day. Although she was feeling a bit miffed at Kenshin as he had spent most of his time at the front of the ship, looking out over the water and refused to tell her any other information, she was feeling relieved to see land after so long at sea. When he had called her up on deck as they approached to port, which was the first time in days he had said more than the merest greeting, he had showed her the view and had said that the small island that they were approaching was called Nami no Kuni by the residents.

As they moved through the town she looked at him, from what she could see of his face under the sugegasa they had purchased was set in an expressionless mask and let out a sigh. "Kenshin, you really need to tell me what we are looking for so I can help!" She said for what felt like the hundredth time that week. As she was adjusting her sugegasa she was surprised when he actually answered.

"We are looking for a bridge, a great bridge." He said quietly, his eyes moving as he took in his surroundings. His ears straining to catch tidbits of conversations, looking for clues as to the location of this bridge. After about a half hour of walking, they crested a small hill at the edge of the village. While they couldn't see farther into the island, they could see a good bit of the coast. Off to their right was the port that they had arrive at. The coast spread out from there, many large sand dunes could be glimpsed through the buildings immediately in front of them but as they continued to look, they saw it. Off to the left they could just make out a large bridge stretching the kilometer to the main island. "That must be it, that it must." Kenshin said as he turned and took the first street that headed in that direction.

After a few more minutes of walking, Kaoru turned to Kenshin again as she spoke. "So how will we know if the information is there?" She asked.

"A bridge that large will have a dedication plaque on it. That is most likely what we are looking for." Kenshin replied.

"Ok, but how will we know if it talks about your nephew. Do you even know what his name is?" She asked.

Kenshin let out a sigh as he stopped under the shade of a large tree, absentmindedly adjusting his hat. "Nee-san had told me when she wrote about the baby that they wanted to name him after the hero in a book that her husband's sensei had written. If her wish had been fulfilled then we are looking for the name Naruto. I do not know if they would have given him his father's family name or our clan name." He said as he looked off into the distance.

"So then we are possibly looking for someone named Naruto Himura?" She asked.

"Himura is not my clan name. My clan name was Uzumaki, that it was." He said, his voice low, his eyes distant as he seemed to relive the past as he started off again.

"Uzumaki?" She asked as she tried to keep pace with Kenshin's quick step. "Ok then, so what is the other name we need to look for?"

"Namikaze." He replied simply as his pace quickened. He could tell they were getting close as the sound of waves hitting wood and stone was growing louder and the foot traffic changed to hold more and more large carts full of goods.

"Those are some interesting names. I don't think I have ever heard of them before." She said, trying to break the silence.

"You wouldn't. We are no longer in Japan. We are in one of the smaller countries in the elemental nations. That we are." He said as he rounded a corner, the bridge stretching out before him.

"N-not in Japan! What do you mean, everyone here is speaking Japanese!" Kaoru exclaimed.

Kenshin stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder at her. "The elemental nations are just off the coast of Japan. It is a cluster islands, the main island is huge, about two-thirds of the size of Japan itself and is composed of several different countries. They all speak the same language, just the accents are a bit different. Japanese isn't really Japanese. The language originated here, not there, that it did." He said, and with that he was off again, moving at a rapid pace.

It did not take long to reach the foot of the bridge. Off to the side a large plaque could easily be seen and Kenshin moved over to it quickly and started reading it out loud. "The Great Naruto Bridge. This bridge is dedicated to the hero of wave, Naruto Uzumaki and to the other Konoha shinobi on team seven. Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha who defended our village and our nation from Gato and his men and restored our hope and way of life. Built by Tazuna-sama" He said.

"So then he is alive." Kaoru said, looking at the plaque herself. "This is dated three months ago! How old is he then?" She asked looking over at Kenshin.

"He will be fourteen in October." He replied quietly as he re-read the plaque.

"Then he is only thirteen… He is only a child still! Why would he be fighting someone like this Gato guy so young?!" She exclaimed shocked.

"He is shinobi. This team seven must be his Genin team. I am glad to know Kakashi-dono is his Jonin sensei, that I am." He said as he moved off of the street and walked down to the bit of beach under the bridge. Finding a spot out of sight from passers by, he pulled out an old scroll, the edges a bit tattered from handling. "We must find Tazuna-sama to gather some information and then we will be crossing the bridge. We do not have time to waste here so I must change quickly, please pay me no mind." He said as he unrolled the scroll to reveal an intricate circular design on the center of the scroll.

"What is that?" Kaoru asked as she moved towards him to get a better look.

"This is what is called a storage scroll. All the items are sealed using chakra within the design." He said indicating the design before him. He raised his right hand to his face, forming the earth release seal and placed his left hand on the seal. "RELEASE!" He said, using a small burst of power to activate the storage scroll. With a small poof of smoke, a small and varied pile of items appeared.

"H-how did you do that!" Kaoru asked surprised.

"Chakra." He replied simply as he removed his sugegasa and faded red kimono. He lifted up a black, mesh looking item and pulled it over his head revealing it to be a long sleeved mesh shirt. He quickly replaced the red kimono with a similar item of a deeper, darker red. The distinguishing difference between the two kimono besides the shade of red was that the one he was putting on had a moderately sized, black trimmed, bright red circle with a swirl pattern in the center of it that rested in the center of his back, just above his shoulder blades, with two matching, but much smaller swirls on the front. One on each side of his chest. As he removed his sandals and socks, he continued. "There really is no time to fully explain chakra to you, but it is simply the power of shinobi. It is a power you are either born with or not." He said as he pulled on a pair of open toed black boots. "There are things that I can do, even with the limited training I received as a child, that you can only dream of doing Kaoru-dono." He quickly put the sugegasa back on and neatly piled up the clothes he had just removed onto the circle in the scroll. Once again making the earth release seal with his right hand, he placed his left hand on top of the pile of clothing and items he had not used. "SEAL!" He said with a small burst of chakra the items disappeared into the scroll. He quickly rolled it up and placed it into the pouch on his back.

Kenshin moved forward, taking in Kaoru's appearance. Her dark blue kimono and violet obi were a bit wrinkled from travel, but in good condition. Her long black hair, which was tied back with a violet ribbon, shone in the noon time sun and looked soft and clean from the hasty bath that she had taken earlier that morning. What caught his attention most was the look in her sapphire eyes, She looked confused, lost and worried. Almost like she was no longer looking at someone she had know for the better part of a year, but a stranger. He stopped in front of her, his expression softening in a way that he reserved only for her. "Kaoru…" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "This one is beyond grateful for your support in this. You have been so very patient, so very trusting, so very understanding with this unworthy one." He said as he gently caressed her cheek. "I cannot give you all the answers you need or even want, I am sorry, that I am. But, I am still me, I am still Kenshin so do not fret. I allowed you to come, to share my past with me because I know you can be trusted. I trust you beyond all others, that I do."

"Kenshin…" She said softly looking into his eyes. His emotions swirled with in their violet depths. The truth of his words written plainly on his face. He had opened his heart to her, as much as he dared anyway. Letting her see a part of him that he had kept hidden from the world for so very long. Trusting her with his truths, a bit at a time. She smiled softly at him, moved that he trusted her so. "Kenshin…" she began again. "We should get moving. Your nephew has waited long enough for his uncle to come see him." She said.

"Aa." He said softly, his heart swelling for the woman in front of him. If only she knew how much he loved her and her big, kind heart. "Yes, yes he has." He said, his hand dropping down as he tucked his hands back into his sleeves. "Let us go, there was a tea room that we passed not too far from here. We shall start tracking down Tazuna-sama, that we shall. "

With that said, he moved passed Kaoru, leaving her to follow in his wake.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! I came across something interesting when I was looking up the word for nephew in Japanese, it is listed as oi….so to prevent confusion between the use of oi as _hey_ and oi as in _nephew_ the few times that I will use it meaning nephew I will write it as oi-kun. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 2

It didn't take them long for them to get the information that they needed. The hostess at the tea house was more than happy to tell them where to find Tazuna and his family. Apparently she had been good friends with his daughter Tsunami for years and had talked up a storm. Once they had finished their tea and the small plate of dumplings they ordered they headed off, following the directions that she had given them.

Kenshin took in the appearance of the modest home that they were currently standing in front of. The sound of waves lapping on the small dock behind the house mixed with the chirping of the birds in the nearby trees gave the place a peaceful feel. He turned to Kaoru, his sugegasa and hair hiding his eyes from her. "Kaoru-dono, please follow my lead while we are here. We must keep my true identity quiet and I doubt that they have heard of Japan, that I am." He said quietly.

Kaoru looked at him. His long red banges were hiding his eyes from her so she could only guess at his nervousness. "Alright, that's fair I guess. You would know better than me what kind of information we need anyway." She said, not sure if she should be upset or not with his implication that she didn't know what she was doing.

"Thank you Kaoru-dono." He said simply as he walked up the steps on the small porch. After giving the wooden door a firm knock he stepped back slightly, his arms folding into his kimono sleeves as he waited. After a moment, hurried footsteps could be heard inside the house, a woman's voice calling out that she would be there in a moment.

A pretty woman with dark eye's and hair slid open the door and greeted them with a warm friendly smile. "Hello, can I help you?" Tsunami asked.

"Hello" Kenshin greeted, a friendly smile upon his face. "We are looking for Tazuna-dono, is he available?" he asked.

"I am sorry, my father isn't home right now. He was called away to oversee a building project in the land of fire." She replied apologetically. "Is there something I could do to help you?"

"Aa. Well we had been hoping to speak to Tazuna-dono, but maybe you can help. We are traveling through Nami no Kuni to Hi no Kuni to visit some family when we came across the bridge that Tazuna-dono built. From what we have heard in the village there seems to be a great story connected to it and we were more than curious about it." He said, his voice light and friendly. "We thought the best person to ask about it would be Tazuna-dono himself. Would you happen to know the whole story behind the name of the bridge?"

Tsunami gave a friendly chuckle. "I know the story well enough. The konoha ninja did stay here with us after all. And Naruto-kun is quite the character." She slid the open door wider. "Why don't you come in, I will make some tea and I can tell you what I know.

Once they moved inside. Their sandals and boots left by the door with their sugegasa. They were settled on cushions at a small table overlooking the bay and dock behind the house. After a few minutes Tsunami returned carrying a tray. She laid out the tea and a small plate of sweet cakes for them before settling herself across from them.

"I suppose I should have asked your names first." She said with a bit of a laugh. "It has been a long time since our village has received so many visitors, although they don't usually stop at my house. My name is Tsunami by the way."

"It is a pleasure Tsunami-dono. We are very grateful to you for taking the time to tell us about the bridge and for your hospitality." Kenshin replied, bowing slightly. "I am Kenshin Himura and this lady here is Kaoru…" He began but was cut off by Tsunami's friendly voice.

"Kaoru? What a pretty name! I do love your kimono, such a pretty color, and it brings out your eyes so nicely!" She exclaimed, leaning over to give a loud, and very fake, conspiratorial whisper. "Your husband isn't bad looking either!" She said giving the now blushing and sputtering Kaoru a conspiratorial wink.

Kenshin just blinked for a second, having been taken off guard. ' _Husband?'_ Coming back to his senses he decided it would be best to play along. "Aa, thank you. My wife can be a bit shy sometimes, although she gets over it quickly. We have just been married and she is still getting used to the idea, right Kaoru-chan?" He said turning to her slightly as he reached over to give her knee a quick squeeze.

"Oh, ah…. Y-yes." Kaoru said as she tried getting herself pulled back together. Kenshin had asked her to follow his lead, and apparently allowing Tsunami to assume they were married worked well for whatever was going through his head at the moment. "Th-thank you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." She said with a laugh. "Although you two are just too cute together!" She said as she passed out the sweets she had brought in, missing the blush on both of their faces. "Now I suppose I should begin at the beginning. With who Gato was and what he did to our village." She said as her voice took on a calmer, more serious tone. It took several long minutes as Tsunami explained who Gato had been, the way he had essentially held not just the village but all of Nami no Kuni hostage for his own greedy desires and why her father had requested help from Konoha.

"It was a great relief when they arrived. Everyone had high hopes that the Konoha shinobi would get rid of Gato so we could finally be free of him and his thugs. Although my son Inari-kun had a hard time at first. He was convinced that anyone who stood up to Gato would be killed, just like my husband had been." She said, her voice sad.

"I am sorry for your loss!" Kaoru said as she reached a hand across the table to Tsunami who smiled in return.

"Thank you." Tsunami replied. "Naruto-kun was the spunkiest of the three kids. He was quite annoyed at Inari-kun's attitude and was not afraid to let him know it either." She said with a laugh. "That boy's determination is just beyond anything I have ever seen too. He was able to pull Inari-kun out the depression that he had been in since his stepfather died and inspired strength in the villagers to help them stand up to Gato. The villagers even took up arms in the end, which turned out to be the turning point in the final battle with Gato and his goons. He had at least a hundred thugs with him and two very strong rogue shinobi. Their sensei was able to take care of the older of the two shinobi until they got to the point that Gato decided to turn on them, like the weasel he was. They ended up being killed by the goons of the man who had hired them. As for the goons that Gato had, between the villagers, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun they were taken out with their boss." She said as she finished the story. "Thankfully there were very few casualties on our side. Most of the ones who did die were Gato's goons who he had attack his hired shinobi and were killed by him, his name was Zabuza, as he fought them off trying to get too his apprentice who was seriously injured. Poor kid died from his injures not long after." Her voice was sympathetic for the poor young shinobi who died, even if they had been working for Gato, she still felt that it was a waste of life. "Naruto-kun had been very upset at the boy's death too. He had is stuck in his head that he would be able to save him. To get him to see the error of his ways I suppose. Maybe he saw a bit of himself in the other boy too, who knows? All I know is he was quite depressed about it for the next couple of days that they were here while their sensei recovered."

"It sounds like Naruto-dono has quite the courageous and kind heart, that it does." Kenshin said, his face unreadable as he looked down into the teacup in his hands.

"Yes he does. It's too bad that he's an orphan. I am sure that his parents would have been so very proud of him. To be honest, I think he will attain that dream of his too. He wants to become the Hokage of his village, and he is a natural leader if I ever met one. People just seem to gravitate to him. Although he does have a lot to learn first!" She said with a laugh. "He is too mischievous for his own good as well." Standing she moved to the bookcase in the corner and took down a framed photo. "I took a picture of the kids before they left so that Inari-kun would have something to remember them by." She said as she moved back to the table and handed the photo to Kenshin. The photo had been taken on the front porch, On the top step sat a pink haired girl with green eyes and a large smile. The dark haired boy next to her had a slight frown on his face, but his eyes showed he was actually quite pleased. Sitting in front of them was a much younger boy of about 9 who was smiling brightly as he was being held in a headlock by a blonde boy with bright blue eyes, three scars on each cheek that kinda looked like whiskers and the biggest, sunniest smile. A smile that Kenshin would recognize anywhere. Careful to keep his hand from trembling, he handed the photo over to Kaoru so she could get a good look.

"What cute kids." She said, a small smile on her face as she kept her tone light. "It's hard to believe that they are shinobi." She handed the photo back to Tsunami as she tried to get a look at Kenshin's face out of the corner of her eye. He was hiding behind his bangs. A sure sign he was dealing with some sort of strong emotion. She herself had instantly figured out which child must be his nephew. The blonde boy had the same coloring as his sister's husband, but the boys face and smile could only have come from her. Her heart went out to Kenshin. He had just seen proof outside of the words written on the bridge that his nephew was alive and well, and very much alone outside of his team. She had seen it. The look in those blue eyes. That smile, while sincere enough, was also a mask. Just like Kenshin, he was hiding his loneliness, his pain behind a smile. Deciding to take charge since they had their information she started to rise, catching Kenshin's attention as she did so. "Thank you so much Tsunami-san for your hospitality and a wonderful story. I am afraid that we must be going though. We have a long way to go yet and I am sure Kenshin is eager to get going. Right _dear_?" She said, giving a slight emphasis on 'dear' to Kenshin, letting him know he was going to get an earful later.

"Aa, yes we should go." He said with a chuckle. "We would not want to overstay our welcome, and we have a long journey ahead of us yet, that we do." He said as he too stood from his cushion.

"It was a pleasure having the two of you here!" Tsunami said, a smile on her face. "Although, I would not want to keep you from your journey. I hope the two of you enjoy your honeymoon." She teased as she saw them out of the house. Again missing the blush on their faces as they descended the steps to the yard. With a quick bow and farewell they were off again, headed through the village back towards the bridge.

Once Tsunami's house was out of site, Kaoru turned to Kenshin. " _Married_?" She hissed, her annoyance evident. "There better be a good reason as to why you let her think that we were married!" She growled.

Kenshin chuckled nervously. "Well, it was easier to go with what she already assumed, and I thought that she might be less suspicious of newlyweds traveling to visit family, that I did!" He said, trying to appease Kaoru's rising temper.

Letting out a frustrated growl, Kaoru decided to let it drop. After all it hadn't actually been his idea. He had just gone with it. That, and a small piece of her heart, wished it were true. "Fine." She said. "You did ask me to follow your lead, and it's not like it hurt anything to pretend." After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, she turned to him again. "Umm, Kenshin?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes Kaoru-dono?" he replied.

"What is a Hokage?" She asked as they reached the bridge and started to cross it.

Stopping short, Kenshin looked at her, surprised violet met curious sapphire. After a second he laughed at himself. "I forgot for a moment that there is much I haven't explained yet Kaoru-dono. I'm sorry, that I am. The Hokage, which means 'fire shadow' is the chosen leader of the village we are going to. They are the strongest shinobi in the village. Naruto-kun's father was the Hokage before he died, that he was. He was referred to as Yondaime, or the Yondaime Hokage." He said as he moved off again.

"So what does the whole 'will of fire' and 'hidden among the leaves' part of the letter have to do with where we are going. You haven't explained that to me either." She said catching up to his swiftly moving form.

"Actually I was quite surprised at how straightforward that message was, Anyone familiar with the elemental nations and specifically Hi no Kuni, also referred to as the land of fire, would know that it was referring to a shinobi of it's hidden village." He said as he walked. "All shinobi live in what is called a hidden village, even though it is common enough knowledge on how to get there. The village is kept away from the country's capital and is not on the main trading routes. Meaning that you need to be specifically headed there to reach it. It makes it easier to defend from attacks. The hidden village of Hi no Kuni is Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves." He said glancing at Kaoru, who was looking at him intently as they walked. "Their Sandaime Hokage, the same man who wrote me of my family's death, had a saying that in each shinobi of his village burned the will of fire, the will to fight for and defend their village and their precious people." He gave Kaoru a moment to digest the new information that he had just given to her before he continued. "Once we are across this bridge we will be in Hi no Kuni and will be traveling north for the next day. After that we will be following a small trail that goes north/north west for the next two. Depending on how much ground we cover each day we will either be entering the gates of Konoha at supper time in three days or possibly mid morning the next day. Considering how much daylight we have left today, and that we are traveling on foot it will probably be the latter. Once we get there, we will ask for an audience with the Hokage. He has much to account for, that he does." He said, his voice gaining a hard edge as he thought of the lie that he and Naruto have had to deal with for so long. The feeling of betrayal by someone that his sister had looked up to like a grandfather growing.

Kaoru thought about what Kenshin had just told her and after a moment let out a soft laugh. "Will of fire huh?" She said offhandedly. "The way you are about your friends and with that hair of yours I would say you are the embodiment of the will of fire. And I can only image that if your sister was even half as protective of her loved ones then she was too." She said smiling at him.

A bit startled he looked at her for a moment before laughing. "You are right about that, that you are."

* * *

Kenshin had been right in his estimation, they were arriving at the gates of Konoha mid morning of the fourth day after crossing the bridge. It had been a long, tiring trek, but they had arrived safely with no trouble. They had occasionally seen small groups of merchants along the small road to Konoha, and even saw groups of shinobi flitting above them in the trees, which had amazed Kaoru, and had lead to a short explanation regarding chakra and it's useage and how it can boost speed and agility. Which of course lead to her figuring out that that was how Kenshin could move so quickly when fighting, which he had laughed off. It had been at midday on the second day of travel, when they had stopped at a small tea house for refreshment and a small meal that they had gotten a chance to interact with a Genin team from Konoha. They had chatted a bit, the Jounin named Kenichi, had been curious about Kenshin's sword and was friendly enough. When asked about Konoha, he had been surprised to learn that they didn't know about Orochimaru's attack, or that Sandaime had been killed during the invasion. They learned that Tsunade, one of Sandaime's students, had just been inaugurated as the Hokage a couple weeks prior and she had been brought back to Konoha by none other that Master Jiraiya and Naruto.

" _To be honest" Kenichi said looking at Kenshin intently. "No one believed that brat would be able to bring her back, even with Jiraiya-sama's help. No one has ever though much of him in fact. Considering he has been nothing but an annoying prankster and dead last in his class, but he is changing people's minds. I am glad he was successful, Tsunade-sama seems quite fond of that gaki. It's too bad about his teammate Sasuke though."_

" _Why, what happened to him." Kenshin asked curiously._

" _Word is he abandoned the village to find Orochimaru, and not to avenge the village either. He wants power. A bunch of his Genin friends went after him, but they all were nearly killed by Orochimaru's men. Even Naruto-san was hurt badly, by Sasuke-san himself in fact. Those poor kids are still in the hospital and will probably be in there for some time yet."_

Kenichi and his Genin had left shortly after that to resume their mission and they too had moved on. Kenshin felt a bit deflated at finding out that the Sandaime had been killed. Now he would never know the true reason the old man had for denying him his nephew. But he had met Tsunade, she had been his sister's Jounin sensei before she had left the village at the end of the third war. Maybe that was why he had been sent the message? Because it was safe for him to come see Naruto? He didn't know, but he was going to find out.

After checking in at the front gate, a bored looking Chunin was assigned to escort them to the Hokage tower where they could request an audience with the Hokage herself. They looked around in amazement at the bustle of the village. It was much busier than he remembered and was glad that it seemed that the village had not suffer too badly from the invasion.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the tower, the chunin gave them instructions to go up to the second floor and after showing them to the stairs he left them to go back to his post. At the top of the stairs was a small reception area with a desk as well as a hallway lined with doors leading into various offices and meeting rooms off to one side. Kenshin felt a bit apprehensive as he approached the desk. The dark haired woman who was sitting there hadn't looked up yet as she was working on something, but he recognized her. She had been a friend of his sisters, even though she had been several years younger, the two women had been very close.

"Excuse me. We would like to meet with the Hokage please." Kaoru said politely as she looked at the woman behind the desk. She had been a bit surprised Kenshin hadn't spoken up first, but one look at his face, she had know it might be best if she asked instead.

"Of course, just give me one moment please." She said looking up, the friendly look on her face seemed to freeze in shock, the color draining away like she had seen a ghost when she she saw Kenshin standing there.

"Hello Shizune-dono. It has been far too long, that it has." Kenshin said softly to the startled woman behind the desk.

"Kenshin, you know her?" Kaoru asked, although she wasn't completely surprised considering the look he had had on his face just moments before.

"Yes, she was one of nee-san's closest friends." He replied, his voice was quiet and sad.

"I-it is really you isn't it? Kenshin-san?" She asked, shock evident in her voice. "E-everyone thought that you were dead when you didn't…. When you didn't come for him." She said.

"Well, as you can see I am not dead and I require some _answers_. It is too bad that Sandaime- _sama_ isn't here to answer them for me." He replied, his voice firm and a bit angry. Something that Kaoru had picked up on the last couple of day's. It seemed that any mention of the Sandaime angered Kenshin. Most likely because he would never get the truth from the man.

"R-right, come with me. Tsunade-sama just finished with her last debriefing a few minutes ago and should be free." She said as she stood and quickly walked down the hall. After passing several doors she quickly knocked, opening the door she poked her head in. "Umm…. Tsunade-sama, th-there is someone here to see you." She said as she nervously looked back over her shoulder.

Tsunade sighed. They were in the middle of assigning D-rank missions for the Genin. The large, airy meeting room had only just gotten quiet. Iruka, who was sitting to her left, had been helping her sort through the missions for the next set of meetings that were supposed to start in half an hour. Of course as soon as it got quiet, Jiraiya had shown up and now this. Couldn't she get a moment's peace! She eyed Jiraiya angrily as he leaned nonchalantly on the wall.

"Hey, don't look at me. I had no idea you would have more visitors." He said.

"Show them in." She growled as she turned back to Shizune, who seemed unusually nervous.

"R-right." She she moved to the side to alow a young woman with black hair and sapphire blue eyes who was about 6 inches shorter than her into the room. But it was the man who came into the room on the woman's heels that made her eye's widen in shock and then narrow dangerously. Shizune's nervous behaviour could only be on account of the man now standing before her. She could feel Iruka shift nervously as he felt the tension in the room skyrocket. But Jiraiya just stood there, almost like he was expecting it, the bastard.

"It has been been a very long time Tsunade-sama." Kenshin said, his voice no longer sounding angry, but it was firm, hard even. He was going to get his answers one way or another.

"It has. What has it been, seventeen, eighteen years since your last visit? So, where in hell have you been Kenshin Himura?" She asked, a smirk forming on her face. "Or should I call you Kenshin Uzumaki?"

Iruka's eyes snapped up at the family name of his favorite student. He knew that Naruto was an orphan and there were no other Uzumaki in Konoha, ' _Who is this man?'_ He wondered.

"It seems that you still remember me, even if I was not more than a child when I met you. I have many questions for you, that I do." He said, his features were firm, eyes serious, anger laced his voice as he continued. "I would like to start with the most pressing one if I may, _why_ was I not informed that my nephew lived? _Sandaime-sama_ sent me a message, _informing_ me of Kushina nee-san's death. He claimed that her husband, Minato-san and her newborn son died with her. So tell me Tsunade-sama, what reason would he have for _denying me my nephew_?" He growled. "What right did he, or any of you for that matter, have to keep Naruto-kun from me! He is my nephew! My beloved nee-san's only child!" He spat at her as he moved forward, the emotional dam cracking under the pressure of his anger. "If your precious Sandaime-sama could find me then so could you have, you were her sensei! And you!" He said his furious gaze moving to pin Jiraiya to the wall. "You were Minato-san's sensei and Naruto-kun's godfather! You with your spy network, couldn't even let me know he lived! Your precious students son! The only child of your villages Yondaime-sama! They died for this village and none of you could even be bothered to make sure their son had his family to raise him!" His voice and anger rising, golden flecks of rage showing all those that knew him just how angry he was. "I received this" He said as he whipped out the message and slammed it on the desk in front of Tsunade. "A fortnight ago! I don't know who sent it and I don't even know who delivered it! I want an explanation NOW!"

Tsunade picked up and read the message, instantly recognizing the handwriting, she sent a glare Jiraiya's way. "Sandaime passed several laws regarding Naruto and the circumstances of his birth that was considered treason if broken." She began, keeping a tight leash on her own anger. "Our hands were essentially tied." She said.

"And what would a wet behind the ears boy of what, sixteen maybe, be able to do about raising a baby anyway." Jiraiya said, frowning darkly. "It's true, I knew how to contact you, I also got reports on your activities over in Japan. You earned quite a reputation during their revolution, didn't you Battousai?" He said.

"Now see here! Don't you go blaming Kenshin…" Kaoru said as her own anger started to boil over. Kenshin placed a hand out in front of her, stopping her from moving towards the shinobi in front of him.

"Kaoru-dono, I appreciate your anger on my behalf, but please let this one handle it." He said to her.

"B-but Kenshin…" She replied, her voice calmer, gentler as she spoke to the man beside her.

"Please, Kaoru-dono." He said again, turning fully towards her.

After a moment Kaoru turned from him a bit. "Fine." She huffed. "But they better have some better reasons than some stupid law. I mean really!" Kenshin smirked a bit at her gripping, comforted by the fact that her opinion was the same as his at the moment.

"I do too, although I have my suspicions on the reasons for those laws." He said, his voice becoming hard again. Turning back to the shinobi in the office he glared at them. He had thought long and hard on the trip here, trying to unravel the possible reasons the third might of had. There was only one reason he could think of that would cause him to go to such extremes. He took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh of air as he made sure he had a firm grasp on his anger. Looking from Tsunade to Jiraiya and back again as he gathered his words. "To start, it is not acceptable to use a man's reputation against him with regards to his family. War is war, you do what you must, that you do. Do not think for a moment that I am proud of being called Hitokiri Battousai. I did what I had too to protect the oppressed, to protect those that were weaker than me and to bring about an area of peace." He gave them a moment to digest his words before continuing. "As for these law's that Sandaime-sama put in place. To tell a child of his heritage and call it treason is outrageous! But, unfortunately, it confirms the suspicions that I have been harboring."

He moved his attention to the Chunin sitting at the end of the long desk to Tsunade's left. The brown haired man, who looked to be a few years younger than himself, was sweating profusely. Most likely from the amount of tension in the air. Changing tactics, he decided to address him for a moment. "What is your name?" Kenshin asked, his voice taking on a more respectful tone.

"Oh, ahh, Iruka, Iruka Umino." Iruka replied nervously.

"Iruka-dono, I do apologize for any discomfort that our discussion is causing you. But maybe you could help, are you familiar with these laws?" He asked, his voice remaining polite, almost relaxed compared to how he had been talking to Tsunade.

"Well, um, yes." Iruka said, having a feeling he knew where this was going before the next question was even asked.

"What do you do for your village Iruka-dono?" He asked.

"I work at the Academy and help Tsunade-sama with assigning D-rank mission to the Genin." He said, eyeing Kenshin warily.

"Ah, good! Then you must be very familiar with the history of this lovely village!" Kenshin replied, his voice sounding almost cheerful.

"Well, yes. Village and international history are a major subject at the Academy. All the teachers are required to know it."

"So, Iruka-dono" Kenshin began, his voice hardening once more. "Can you tell me the names of the villages past Jinchuriki?" Kenshin watched as all the color drained from his face.

"Ah, well no…" He said, his gut dropping like a lead weight. ' _Ibiki would love this guy.'_ He thought briefly.

"No? You said you knew village history. I suppose that history must not truly be important here, which is a shame." Kenshin said as he took in the tense stance of Tsunade and Jiraiya. "Would you like me to tell you the names of the two Jinchuriki that Konoha has had in the past?" He asked in a conversational tone of voice. "I do believe you are already familiar with the current one, hence the law's that are in place of course."

"Ahh…" Iruka was feeling a bit lost for words. There had been _two_ Jinchuriki in Konoha before Naruto? How on earth did this man, not even a member of the village even know any of this information?

"I do believe you have heard of the first one. My great-aunt Mito was a very well respected konichi, wasn't she Tsunade-sama?" He asked casually. "I do believe her husband, your Shodai Hokage-sama thought so."

"Th-the Shodai's wife?" Iruka asked stunned.

"Yes, she was very strong, that she was. At least that is what father told me. Of course, so was my nee-san, Naruto-kun's mother. Father told me that it was a great honor to be chosen to be the Jinchuriki of such a powerful creature. You are also familiar with Kushina Uzumaki, the Yondaime's wife are you not?" He asked.

"Well.. no.. not really." He replied.

"Ah, well. I suppose that not knowing that the wife of your Hokage is the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune is common practice here then. It is a shame really. To be given such a huge responsibility, but to be left alone with it, no one to share the burden with. I suppose it was good for my nee-san that mother and aunt came to Konoha with her when she came for training. I would hate to imagine the pain and loneliness she would have gone through without having family there." He said causing Iruka to visibly flinch.

' _Well at least now I know the point he was trying to make.'_ Iruka thought to himself as guilt weighed down on him though for all those times he didn't help Naruto because of his own fear or just because of the laws in place.

"I don't know _what_ you think you know…" Tsunade said as she glared at Kenshin but was cut off by the return of his temper.

" _What_ I know is what was taught to me as a child by my father before I left to apprentice under Hiko-shishou and by my mother when I visited my nee-san all those years ago." He growled. "I know that _only_ someone of Uzumaki blood can safely be the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi! I also know the _only_ weakness of the seal that was used and was developed by my _clan_!" He said, his voice rising. "What I _do not know_ is the details of the birth of my nephew which would have left no choice but to make him the next Jinchuriki and why it was believed that he would not need his family to care for him!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Iruka worked up the nerve to speak. "S-so, you figured out that he is a Jinchuriki… and it doesn't bother you?" He asked warily.

"There was no other possible reason why a child would be denied the love of his family. And no, it does not bother me that he is a Jinchuriki. He is the jailor, not the monster just as my nee-san was." He said matter a factly.

Kaoru looked at him confused. "M-monster? Kenshin, why would you call your nephew a monster?" She asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

"I did not call him a monster Kaoru-dono, although I can assume that others may think that." Kenshin watched Iruka visible flinch at his words. "My clan has been be the ones to bare a great burden for generations now. I will do my best to explain it to you later, that I will." He turned back to address Tsunade once again, his voice sounding more subdued. "Was he at least well cared for? Did Sandaime-sama at least let him foster with one of the clans? Minato-san was very close with Hiashi of the Hyuga clan and Shikaku of the Nara Clan if I remember correctly."

Only deafening silence answered him. After what seemed like an eternity for Kenshin he let out a remorseful sigh. "I see." He said sadly. "I suppose that he was raised in the local orphanage?"

Iruka looked up, his own shame at not helping Naruto when he was younger was growing larger and heavier by the minute as he watched and listened to the man standing in front of him. This man who had been denied the opportunity to know Naruto but yet loved him so much for simply being born. "I… have never know Naruto to live at the orphanage…. I was assigned as his sensei at the Academy by Sandaime-sama after several other teachers refused to teach him." He said as he watched the attention of the two visitors rest on him. "I… have only known him to live alone, in a small apartment not far from the Academy itself."

"How old was he when he left the orphanage?" Kenshin asked quietly, taking in how both Tsunade and Jiraiya now refused to even meet his eyes. After a moment with no answer he asked again. " _How old was he?!_ " He growled.

Still refusing to meet Kenshin's gaze, Tsunade let out a ragged breath. "Three. He was three when the orphanage threw him out claiming he was a danger to the other children." She said. Her own guilt weighing heavily on her now.

"Th-three…" Kaoru repeated, her heart breaking for the scared little boy that Naruto must have been. Images of Dr. Gensai little granddaughters popped into her head. The youngest had just turned four, how could anyone expect a small child, a baby, to take care of themselves was beyond her. "Y-you people a-are monsters!" She said, her voice thick with both anger and sorrow. "H-how could any of you allow a small child, a _baby_ , to be thrown into the streets!" She choked out as the tears started to fall. "A-and to call him a danger! I-if anyone was a danger it was you people!"

"Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said softly as moved over to her. He was having a hard time keeping his own emotions in check at hearing how small Naruto was when forced to be on his own. He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I think maybe this is getting too much for you Kaoru-dono. Maybe you should wait outside. I am about done here anyway, that I am."

She grabbed tightly to his sleeve, sorrow filled blue eyes looked into pained violet. "He was a baby still Kenshin! How could they…. How could anyone…." She said, her voice choked by her tears.

"I do not know that either Kaoru-dono. But we are here now. I will make things right if I can, that I will." He said softly, trying to lead her to the door, but she stubbornly refused.

"I am not leaving Kenshin, so you can forget about it." she said softly, her voice firm under the tears.

"Are you sure Kaoru-dono." Kenshin asked her quietly, when she nodded her assent he turned back to the Tsunade. "I think it would be best if you gathered all of my nee-san's and Minato-san's papers together. I am sure you have their important paperwork stored here. I wish to see their wills and I also wish to do what I can for Naruto-kun while I am here. I _will_ speak with him myself and he _will_ be informed of who I am as well. It is his _right_." He said, his voice stern, leaving no room for argument. "I will be back before supper time for the records, in the meantime we will be leaving to find a place to stay." He said, as he turned and moved towards the door.

"Hold on a minute." Tsunade said, her voice showing her defeat. Kenshin had only spoken honestly and, unfortunately, had been right about everything. She decided that it was best just to let him do what should have been done so long ago for Naruto, to let him be there for him. Quickly grabbing a blank piece of paper from the desk top she scribbled a note and put the Hokage's stamp on it. "Iruka, I want you to escort these two over to the dignitary guest quarters and give this to them. Make sure they are assigned one of the smaller guest quarters there for their stay and make sure that it is clear that _all_ of their needs are to be met." She said handing the paper to Iruka. "After that, please escort Himura-san to the hospital so that he may visit his nephew. I am sure the… revelations that are to come for the gaki will be a bit easier to take in if you are there to confirm the truth for him." She said, her voice firm.

"Of course Hokage-sama." Iruka said as the took the paper and stood to leave. Moving to the door he looked at Kenshin and Kaoru as he opened it. "Please follow me."

After they left Tsunade turned a glare at Jiraiya. "What… the…. Hell… Jiraiya!" She growled.

"He needed to know. And anyway, the gaki needs a safe place to train. I know we were talking about him traveling with me, I just thought that having more… options, would be good." He said in a completely un-repentant tone.

She let out a loud sigh. "I need a drink."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! I came across something interesting when I was looking up the word for nephew in Japanese, it is listed as oi….so to prevent confusion between the use of oi as _hey_ and oi as in _nephew_ the few times that I will use it meaning nephew I will write it as oi-kun. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 3

It had only take them a few minutes to reach the small tower that hosted the guest quarters for visiting dignitaries. The chunin there had been friendly and had shown them to a small apartment that consisted of a small sitting room, furnished with a low, traditional style table and several thick cushions, two small rooms for sleeping, each outfitted with a folded futon and a large pile of blankets and pillows and a bathroom. They were also told that there was a small bathhouse in the back of the building for guest usage. They were then each handed a small badge that they were informed to present it to the few restaurants and couple of shops that surrounded the building. They were informed that those specific owners would bill the Hokage for their food and any incidentals that they may need during their stay.

Once Kenshin was sure that Kaoru was settled with thoughts of a warm bath, and he had discarded anything he felt unnecessary to continue to carry, he followed Iruka to the hospital. The walk was nice and helped to clear his head from the earlier confrontation.

"You know…." Iruka began, his voice a bit hesitant but not wary. "I…. I am glad that you came." He said.

Kenshin eyed him for a moment to gauge the young man walking next to him. "I am too." he said finally. "My only regret is that it was not sooner. He did not deserve that kind of childhood, that he did not."

"No….no he didn't." Iruka agreed.

Once they arrived, they went up to the second floor. Iruka didn't need directions as he already knew which room Naruto was assigned to from his previous visits that week. Turning to Kenshin he broke the silence again. "He is supposed to be released at noon tomorrow." He said conversationally. "He is a very fast healer."

"Mmm." Was the only response Kenshin gave as he began to feel nervous.

As they walked down the hall, a young dark haired girl, appearing to be around thirteen, emerged from a hospital room.

"Hello Hinata-chan, how are you doing?" Iruka called, his voice friendly.

The girl jumped a bit as she hadn't seen them approaching. "O-oh, hello Iruka-sensei. I am well." She replied politely looking up at the two men.

"That is good to hear. Have you been visiting Naruto again?" He teased causing the poor girl to blush furiously. It was common knowledge that the shy girl liked the loud blonde. He thought it was rather sweet himself.

"Y-yes." She replied. "I...I brought him a fresh flower."

"That is very nice of you Hinata-dono." Kenshin said, having caught the girl's name. "I am sure that he greatly appreciates your concern."

"D-do you think so?" Hinata asked shyly, her fingers fidgeting in front of her.

"Yes I do, I would not say that if I didn't think so, that I would not." He said. He gave the girl a reassuring smile as she left. Once she was down the hall he turned to Iruka. "She is a Hyuga correct?" He asked, having noticed her eyes, he wanted to make sure he was placing her in the correct clan.

"Yes. She is Hiashi's eldest daughter in fact. She was in Naruto's class in the academy and has admired him for his courage for a while now. Poor thing is too shy to really approach him thought. It doesn't help that her clan has all but destroyed her confidence. She is a kind girl with a gentle soul, being a shinobi is very difficult for her. She nearly lost both her teammate Kiba and her cousin Neji to the sound shinobi when Sasuke left." He said as he watched her disappear around a corner in the hall. With a sigh Iruka turned back to the door Hinata had just left. "Well, this is it." He said as he slid it open and entered.

The curtains over the windows of the room were partially drawn leaving the room fairly dim. On the table by the window was a glass with a bright yellow flower in it. The young man in the bed was fast asleep. Bandages could be seen wrapped around his head and his arms. Kenshin could only guess at how much of the rest of his body was covered by those same bandages. His heart went out to the boy. "You fought bravely didn't you young one." He said softly as he approached the bed and carefully sat at the foot.

"The other boys that went out with Naruto are still in intensive care. They will be there for probably another few days at least." Iruka said, his voice sad. "They were all my students at the academy too, except for Neji. It breaks my heart to see them all like this, but at the same time I am proud of their bravery and their desire to save a comrade. Even if they were just trying to save him from himself."

"It is not always possible to save someone from themselves. They are fortunate to have returned with their lives, that they are." Kenshin said quietly as he watched Naruto as he stirred a bit. Their voices waking him from his nap.

Naruto's face scrunched up a bit as he woke. Azure eyes blinked sleepily up at the ceiling. He started a bit at the sound of Iruka's voice.

"Hello Naruto, glad to see you're awake finally." Iruka said, his voice soft and friendly.

"Iruka-sensei, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice sounding sleepy. As he started to sit up he winced.

"You should take it easy, that you should." Kenshin said quietly, startling the blonde boy who hadn't noticed him sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked blinking curiously at the redheaded man.

"My name in Kenshin Himura. It is a pleasure to finally meet you Naruto-kun." Kenshin said, a small friendly smile on his face.

Naruto looked at him, a confused expression on his face. "You.. came here… to meet me?" He asked, incredulity laced his voice causing both men to chuckle.

"Yes Naruto. Kenshin-san has come a long way to meet you. He has something very important to tell you too." Iruka said.

"Indeed I do Naruto-kun." Kenshin said. Taking a breath he looked away for a moment as he focused his thoughts. After a moment he turned back. "I have come to tell you about a part of my past. About a beautiful, brave woman who married a man she loved with all her heart. And about a painful lie that was told to both of us by Sandaime-sama." He said, catching the boy's attention.

"Really?" Naruto asked, his curiosity peaked. "Who was the woman… and the old man lied to me… about more than… than what I am?" he asked. Hesitant to out right speak of the Kyuubi.

"Sadly he did. I am sorry you have had to bear the burden of being a Jinchuriki all alone for so long. But he did lie, to both of us. You see, the beautiful woman that I was talking about was my beloved nee-san. She was a Jinchuriki, just like you and was married to the only man she ever loved, you would know him as Yondaime-sama."

Naruto's eyes got really round at the mention of his hero's name. "Y-your sister was married to the Yondaime!" He said excitedly, causing Kenshin to chuckle.

"Yes she was, and was the happiest woman in the world too. Especially when they found out that they were to have a child, a baby boy. My precious oi-kun." He said, capturing the boy's attention once again. "But a great tragedy befell them thirteen years ago on the night my oi-kun was born…" Kenshin was cut off by Naruto.

"S-she died because of the Kyuubi…..because of me, didn't she." He asked sadly, already guessing that this man who seemed so kind was just going to blame him like the villagers always seemed to do.

"No, not because of you, but because of the Kyuubi. She was his Jinchuriki before you, you see. Although I do not know all the details, but she did not survive that night. Neither did her husband. And I was told by Sandaime-sama that my oi-kun had died too. But _that_ , Naruto-kun was the lie he told. The same lie he told you. You see, Naruto-kun. He felt, for whatever reason, he needed to lie to both of us and it pains me that I did not find out sooner, that it took thirteen years for someone to tell me the truth, that my oi-kun, that _you_ Naruto-kun, had lived. I have something to show you." Kenshin said as Naruto stared at him in shocked silence. He reached into the pouch on his back and pulled out the olive green book his sister had given him so long ago and carefully removed a photo from it. "This is the only picture I have of them, your mother and father." He said as he handed it to the boy who eagerly took it.

"Wh-what was her name? Mom's I mean." He asked as he stared longingly at the photo.

"Kushina Uzumaki. She was a brave, kind hearted woman who loved you so very much, that she did." Kenshin replied.

"I… you… so then... you're….you're my uncle?" Naruto asked, trying to fully comprehend what was being said.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. I am your uncle. You are not alone, and you never were supposed to be alone, that you were not." Kenshin replied, his voice soft.

Naruto started to tremble looking at the picture in his hands. The beautiful, red haired woman, who looked so much like the strange man sitting on his bed, was his mother! He had some family left! They came for him, after all these years! Tears started to form, and before he knew it, he had launched himself at Kenshin and was sobbing in the man's arms.

Kenshin held him close and rubbed his back soothingly. "It is ok now Naruto-kun. I will make sure of that, that I will."

Iruka watched the scene before him with mixed emotions. A part of him was sad. Sad that Naruto had been denied his only living family for so long, even if it was just an uncle, but he was happy as well. Happy that he did have someone, someone who was not afraid to love him bijuu and all. He quietly let himself out of the room, confident that Naruto was in good hands.

After a few minutes, the tears subsided and were replaced by hiccups. Naruto started to laugh a bit as he pulled back. "S-sorry." He said as he dried his face.

"Do not worry about it. I don't mind." Kenshin said with a chuckle. "Even the strongest of men cry sometimes, that they do."

"Do you cry then?" Naruto asked, a grin splitting his face.

"Yes, I have cried before, and I am sure I will cry again." He replied with a chuckle.

"Can you tell me what she was like? Mom I mean? And where have you been? Are you from a different village or something?" Naruto asked, the questions gushing out of his mouth.

"One question at a time!" He laughed, placing his hands up to fend of the excited blonde. Once Naruto settled back a little he continued. "Your mom was a kind hearted woman like I said before. She was generous too, always willing to help a friend. She was very strong and worked very hard to be the best kunoichi she could be, but you didn't want her to get mad at you, that you did not." Putting a serious look on his face he continued. "She was very scary when angry." He said causing Naruto to laugh.

"Were you scared of her when she was angry?" Naruto asked, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"Of course! But I did not get her angry very often as she was brought here to Konoha to train when she was young and I was sent off to train in kenjutsu. I only got to visit her here once, that I did." He replied.

"Kenjutsu? What is that?" Naruto asked curiously. "And why weren't you trained here in the village?"

"Well, to put it simply, kenjutsu is the art of swordsmanship." He said, touching the hilt of his sakabato. "My father, your grandfather, was good friends with a master swordsman from the land of Iron. His clan was of shinobi decent and their style of kenjutsu was very powerful and I had shown signs of being talented with weapons so father asked him to train me. As for why I did not train in Konoha, it is rather simple actually, the Uzumaki clan was not a clan of Konoha. We were from the land of Eddies off the coast. Our village had been named Uzushiogakure. She was a sister village to Konoha as our clan and the Senju are cousins. In fact that is why the chunin vests have the swirl on the back. That is not only Uzu's village symbol, but the Uzumaki clan crest as well. It shows our unity. Unfortunately our village was destroyed during the second great shinobi war. Our clan killed and what survivors there were had scattered. By the time the third great shinobi war ended, there was only me and your mother left out of our immediate family." His voice taking on a sad quality as he talked about the village and clan now lost in time.

"Oh." Naruto said, his excitement having be deflated a bit by the story. "So… why didn't you stay in the village when you came to visit mom?" He asked.

"We had come to say goodbye, me and Hiko-shisho were leaving the elemental nations for the outside world. He had lost his clan as well and was tired of all the wars between the shinobi." He said, his voice distant. ' _Too bad shisho didn't know it would land us in the beginning of another war.'_

"Th-the outside world? There are places outside of the elemental nations?" Naruto asked curiously. "They never taught about that at the academy!"

"They wouldn't. There are unspoken laws in regards to the outside world. It's to protect them as much as us. I will tell you more about it tomorrow when I come to pick you up. And you can talk to Kaoru-dono too. I am sure she would love to tell you about her family's dojo and about Tokyo where we live." He said as he stood to leave. "But keep the knowledge that there is an outside world to yourself please. That is not something other people need to know, ok?"

"Ok." Naruto said, pouting. As he watched Kenshin move to the door he continued. "Can I talk about you though…. Ji-san?" He asked hesitantly.

Kenshin looked over his shoulder at Naruto as he slid the door open. "Of course, there is no reason to pretend you do not have family now Naruto-kun, that there is not." He said smiling warmly at the blonde boy.

"Alright! I got an uncle now, ya'know!" Naruto said, his excitement coming back full force.

Kenshin hesitated for a moment, startled at his outburst. "Oro?" Then he started to laugh. "You got that from her _ya'know_!" He said teasingly imitating Naruto's excitement. For a moment it had felt like his sister had been alive and well when he had heard that and it made him happy that another piece of her continued on. "See you tomorrow Naruto-kun." He said as he left, Naruto having been momentarily stunned into silence by his teasing, just gave him a foxy grin as he left.

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she as she removed the two thick folders from the box on her desk. She carefully, almost reverently, brushed the small amount of dust off of the folders. Lost in thought she just stared at them, images of the past flitted through her mind. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she opened the top folder and began carefully going through the records within making sure that nothing was missing. Once she was satisfied that all the papers in that folder were in order she set it to the side and started on the next. As she went through the first part, which consisted of the living will that was standard for all active duty shinobi, she came across a document that she was not expecting to see. Eye's narrowed as she read and re-read the document. With an aggravated sigh she carefully placed the document back with the will as she carefully placed both off to the side and finished examining the folder. Once she was satisfied, she placed the will once again on top and reexamined the other document. After she replaced that too she pulled out her hidden bottle of sake and took a swig. ' _This is going to be more trouble that I thought it would be._ ' She thought.

Movement at her window drew her attention as Jiraiya let himself in. "You know I do have a door right?" She said offhandedly.

"Yeah, but where is the fun in that?" Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "But anyway, he is here and I have some things to discuss with him as well, so I thought I might as well sit in on your little meeting."

"Yeah fine, whatever." She replied, she could feel the beginning of a headache forming already.

Two minutes later Shizune knocked quickly before allowing Kenshin into the office. "Good afternoon Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-dono." Kenshin said as he gave a small bow to each.

"Well it's nice to see you still have some manners kid." Jiraiya said as he leaned nonchalantly against the wall.

"I hope you will forgive me for my outburst earlier. I was rather upset and a bit frustrated that I would not get to confront Sandaime-sama for his betrayal of trust. I do apologize for my rude behavior, that I do." Kenshin said as he bowed again.

"It's fine, now shall we start?" Tsunade asked as she slid the folders forward. "I took the liberty to verify that both records were complete and in order for you. Although, I did find one document that I was not expecting to find." She said catching the attention of both men in the room. As Kenshin stepped forward to stand before the desk she flipped open one of the folders revealing the document in question.

Kenshin picked up the document and read it carefully, his eyes widening in surprised. After quickly re-reading it he looked up. "This is a betrothal contract." He said, the shock of it evident in his voice. While betrothal contracts were not uncommon, it was mostly used for people of high standing, or very prestigious clans, to form alliances with one another. They were also a bit tricky. Only the family of the betrothed with the higher rank at the time of the agreement could enact or cancel said contract. In case of the death of the parties family, the contract could neither be enacted nor canceled until that party reached their majority, unless of course a close family member happened to step forward. And in a shinobi village no one ranks higher that the Hokage for these matters, not even the clan heads.

"It is, which means we will need to set up a meeting to discuss this contract with all the affected parties. It is getting a bit late in the day to do it today, and I am sure you will need time to think on this as the final decision is yours since Naruto's father, and by association Naruto himself, are the higher ranking individuals. How does tomorrow morning sound?" Tsunade asked as she studied Kenshin for any tells to what he might be thinking as he re-read the document for a third time.

"No, tomorrow afternoon. Late afternoon should be good. Naruto-kun doesn't get out of the hospital until noontime and I think it is best that both children attend this meeting. I also need the time to discuss this with Naruto-kun, that I do." He replied as he looked up, his face serious.

"You know he is just going to fly off the handle and completely freak out." Tsunade replied as she continued to study him.

"That maybe, and I can't blame him for it neither. But this greatly affects his life and he has a right to an opinion on the matter. Besides, he has taken care of himself for the last ten years and I will not be here forever. If this is something that he truly does not wish for, then I will not force it upon him, that I won't." He said as he carefully set the document aside and started carefully going through the folder. Once he was finished with the first folder he started on the second one, his sisters.

The room was quiet, only the sound of papers being moved broke the silence that had engulfed them. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were studying him he knew. He could feel their eyes on him, sizing him up, assessing his potential threat. He almost smiled. He could tell that they were worried about Naruto and the repercussions of his arrival. It was Jiraiya that finally broke the silence.

"I think it maybe important for you to know this, whether you stick around for a while or not." He said, catching Kenshin's attention. "There is a group of S ranked rogue shinobi known as the Akatsuki that have made themselves known. My spies have been watching them for several years now and it seems they have developed an interested in the Jinchuriki. There is talk that they are hunting them for their bijuu." He said, carefully gauging Kenshin's reaction.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice developed a hard edge to it as he spoke. "They are _hunting_ the Jinchuriki for their bijuu? And yet Naruto-kun lives alone and unprotected? Did what happen to my sister all those years ago mean nothing?" He asked, remembering when he had heard how Kumo shinobi had infiltrated Konoha to kidnap his sister for her bijuu. His mother had been severely injured and his aunt, who had come to Konoha as well, had been killed. If it hadn't been for Minato-san his sister most likely would have been killed as well. "Is he aware that his life's in danger?"

"No, he hasn't been told, and precautions have been put in place." Jiraiya said. "His team has been attacked once already, it seemed like they were testing to gauge our security around him more than anything at the time thought. And they haven't really begun to move yet. We estimate it will take about three years for them to complete their preparations. In the meantime we have been discussing sending him on an extended training trip. We feel that having him outside the village and in a undisclosed location will keep him safe for the time being."

"Is that the reason why I was notified of his existence then. Because he is a security risk to the very village he protects?" Kenshin growled, his anger starting to rise again.

"No…. not entirely anyway." He replied. "Having another option is always good, but I had plans on training the boy myself. Although, keeping my spy network up and running and training him will be difficult."

"You do know that I did not receive shinobi training. I was trained in the ways of kenjutsu and taijutsu only. There would be little I could do for him."

"True, but you do know how to use chakra, at least a little bit. And he has shown the ability to learn from scrolls… when he wants to of course." Jiraiya said with a fond chuckle. "And then there is the fact that you live in the outside world. I have been very cautious about watching them. They are only interested in the elemental nations and have no contact with the outside world. But anyway, I wasn't expecting you to train him… unless you want to of course."

Kenshin stared at him for a long moment before turning back to the papers in front of him. "That is not a decision that I can make at this time. We will discuss this further tomorrow as well." He said as he carefully replaced the paperwork in its folder. Giving Tsunade a stern look he turned the conversation back to her. "I will see you tomorrow afternoon at four if you would. I expect all relevant parties be here as well, that I do. Good afternoon." He said as he turned and walked briskly out of the office.

* * *

By the time he entered the small apartment his temper had cooled off somewhat allowing him to think more clearly. As he removed his boots by the door Kaoru's head poked out of the sitting area.

"There you are Kenshin! You know you have really good timing, I just got back from picking us up some dinner. I hope you don't mind that I went to get it without speaking to you first." She said as he entered the room and settled on one of the cushions by the table.

"It's alright Kaoru-dono, I don't mind." He replied as he helped her set out the food. It wasn't anything special just some dumplings, rice, soup, grilled vegetables and tea but it tasted good and helped his mood lighten further.

Kaoru had been watching him as they ate. She could tell there was something bothering him, and while he didn't seem as angry as he did when he had arrived, it's shadow hadn't left his eyes. "Alright Kenshin, out with it." She said, her voice conveying that she was not going to let him beat around the bush on this.

Kenshin looked up at her a bit startled as he hadn't really been paying attention. With a sigh he sat back, getting a little more comfortable. "Out with what?" He asked.

"You know what! Something is bothering you, did those idiots give you a hard time or something?" She asked.

"No." He said with a sigh. "There is more going on than I thought there would be that's all." He said as he took a sip of tea. "Do you remember how we were discussing something called bijuu and referring to Naruto-kun as a Jinchuriki?" He asked, deciding that this might be the best starting point.

"Yes." She replied.

"Well, I should explain what these things mean and why they are important in regards to Naruto-kun." Sighing he played with his cup for a moment before he continued. "A bijuu is a creature of great power. It is made up entirely of chakra and they have been around as long as shinobi have existed. The bijuu's strength is determined by the number of chakra tails it has. They are also represented by animals as well. For example the Ichibi, the one tails, is a tanuki. It is also said that the power is like that of a natural disaster." He watched Kaoru carefully as he gave this information to her. Looking for signs of confusion or disbelief. Once he was satisfied that Kaoru was following along alright he continued. "The only way that the shinobi world has been able to survive such creatures is by sealing them away and using their power. When they are sealed, they are sealed into a person. That person is then referred to as a Jinchuriki. They are a living sacrifice. Some look upon the Jinchuriki as a weapon, or even as the monster that is sealed within. But they are no more and no less than the creatures prison." Pausing for a moment Kenshin took another sip of tea before letting the proverbial axe fall. "And like my nee-san, Naruto-kun is a Jinchuriki. He is the Jinchuriki of the most powerful of the bijuu, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the nine tailed fox. It was sealed within him by his own father the day he was born as his mother's seal failed and from what the records show, was what caused her to die shortly after his birth. His father's death was a direct result of the sealing as well."

Kaoru stared at him for a moment in complete shock before she regained her self. "They forced that kind of responsibility upon a newborn baby?" She asked, "What were they thinking!"

"There wasn't a choice unfortunately." Kenshin replied quietly. "Once a bijuu is removed from it's Jinchuriki, the Jinchuriki does not survive. And to allow a bijuu to roam free is unthinkable. There would be nothing but death and destruction in the creatures wake. I also learned that there is an organization that is rumored to be hunting the Jinchuriki for their bijuu. Jiraiya-dono says that they have about three years give or take before they are ready to get serious about hunting them."

"Naruto-kun is being hunted! For something that he can't even help!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Yes." He replied sadly. "They plan on sending him out of the village to _train_."

"Those COWARDS!" Kaoru yelled angrily. "They put that kind of burden on a baby, throw him into the street to take care of himself and now when he needs to be protected they are going to kick him out of the village! I am going to kick them in their idiotic asses!"

Kenshin chuckled at her outburst, glad she didn't seem to fear Naruto for his hidden power. "Well, Jiraiya-dono did say he wanted to train him, unless of course I wanted to do it myself, that he did. And there is also the small matter that Naruto-kun's parents had a betrothal contract written up for him, which we will be meeting about tomorrow afternoon to go over."

Kaoru calmed down a bit with the change in topic. "A betrothal contract? Really?" She asked curiously. "With who?"

"It was set up between Naruto-kun and the then soon to be born daughter of his father's friend Hiashi Hyuga. Her name is Hinata-dono. I actually ran into her at the hospital when I went to meet Naruto-kun. Sweet girl, but painfully shy, that she is."

"Aww, was she there visiting him then?" Kaoru asked, smiling slightly.

"I guess, he was asleep when we got there. We caught her leaving his room, she had brought him a flower and from what I gather it's not the first one she has brought him during his stay." He said, smiling slightly himself.

"Sounds like a good girl to me!" She said with a smile. "So, are you going to train him?"

"You know I don't wish to train anyone in kenjutsu Kaoru-dono." Kenshin replied matter of factly. "Not fully anyway."

"So? I am sure there is other things you could teach him! And if this stupid village doesn't want him then he can come home with us!" Kaoru said, getting all fired up at the thought.

"And the betrothal?" Kenshin asked, amused at Kaoru's enthusiasm. "I have plans to discuss it with Naruto-kun tomorrow before the meeting, but if he decides he is for it what do you suggest we do about it and her then?"

"Take her with us of course!" Kaoru said, rolling her eyes at him causing him to laugh outright.

"If you are sure then. We will see what happens tomorrow before we make any final decisions though, that we will." He said, feeling a bit relieved that Kaoru was so eager to help.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! I came across something interesting when I was looking up the word for nephew in Japanese, it is listed as oi….so to prevent confusion between the use of oi as _hey_ and oi as in _nephew_ the few times that I will use it meaning nephew I will write it as oi-kun. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 4

It was nearly noon when they arrived at the hospital. Kaoru was quite impressed at the cleanliness and size of the hospital itself. Never having seen one so large before. She was convinced that if Megumi ever got the chance to see this place, she would never leave. It didn't take them long to reach Naruto's room. Kenshin was thankful he had paid attention the day before on how to find it because he was sure they would have gotten lost otherwise.

He gave a light knock, once he heard Naruto's reply to come in he slid the door open and stepped into the room with Kaoru following close behind him. "Good morning Naruto-kun, I hope you slept well." He said in greeting, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah! I'm feeling tons better today too! I can't wait to get out of here ya'know!" He said practically vibrating with excitement causing both adults to chuckle at him.

"I can see that!" Kenshin replied chuckling still. "This is Kaoru Kamiya-dono. She is the lady I live with in Tokyo and is a trusted friend of mine." He said introducing Kaoru to Naruto who was giving her a very large friendly smile. "And this is Naruto Uzumaki-kun, my nephew." He said as he turned to Kaoru as he finished the introductions.

"I figured that much out Kenshin!" She said with a laugh. "I am so happy to finally meet you Naruto, I have heard quite a bit about you!"

"Y-you have?" He asked, his smile dimming and a wariness, came into his blue eyes. This was not missed by Kenshin, although Kaoru didn't seem to notice.

"Yes I have. It seems like you have had some really interesting adventures going on lately, and I hear you're quite the brave young man too!" She said, her voice friendly and sincere. "Maybe you would like to tell us about them? Once we leave here, we are going to go pick up some lunch and you can tell us all about what has been going on while we eat, sound good?"

Naruto's enthusiasm came back easily with Kaoru's friendly tone and the offer of food. The wary look leaving his eyes as he excitedly talked with Kaoru, asking for ramen and then pouting at being denied his favorite food. He didn't seem to mind the fact that they were going to pick up some takeout and go back to the guest apartment that they had been assigned. Maybe it was because the food was on the Hokage, or maybe it was just the promise of having a captive audience all to himself.

As they were walking down the street after he had been released Kenshin could feel eyes on them in a way he hadn't felt earlier. Frowning, he would look quickly just to catch a glimpse of someone turning away. It couldn't be because they were strangers, this would have been happening since they arrived if that was the case. Listening to Naruto's enthusiastic re-telling of one of his team's missions, Kenshin decided to watch the people that they passed from under his banges, making it impossible for them to see his stare. What he realized after only observing for a few minutes is that the stares weren't directed at him and Kaoru, they were turning their mistrustful glares on Naruto. It seems that the village that he had spent his whole life protecting didn't trust him to do so at all. Kenshin wasn't sure if Naruto noticed or was just so used to it that he could tune it out, but either way he didn't like it. Not one bit.

They eventually arrived at the cozy little tea room near their temporary quarters and went in to order their food. As they entered Kenshin's mood darkened as the whole place quited down upon spying Naruto as he entered. He could feel Naruto shift nervously behind him, no longer telling his story as he too felt the borderline hostile stares of the clientele.

Kaoru leaned over to him to whisper in his ear, "What's going on?" She asked, having also picked up on the mood.

He shook his head slightly to indicate to her he wasn't sure himself, although he had a sinking suspicion he knew. He walked slowly over to the small counter to talk to the manager so they could place their order. Naruto hung back by the door, nervously standing there angrily looking down at the floor. The manager was polite enough, taking their order without hesitation. What angered Kenshin though was the looks he was shooting Naruto and the way he was insistent on packing their food to go before Kenshin had even the chance to request it as such.

"Kaoru-dono, why don't you take Naruto-kun over to our quarters so he can wash up for lunch? It should not take long for the food to be ready and I will be right behind you." He said, his voice deceptively calm.

"S-sure." She replied, as she turned. Giving the room one last confused look she ushered a relieved Naruto from the small restaurant.

He careful surveyed the room, his eyes taking in everyone's reactions as Naruto left. The downright disgust on some of their faces infuriated him. But it was the manager's words that were the last straw for his temper.

"Do not bring that _boy_ into my establishment again. He is not welcome here." He said, his voice cool and unfriendly. "I don't wish to make a habit of feeding _people_ like him."

What the manager was not prepared for was the steely gold flecked violet eyes that locked onto his, nor the oppressing feeling of danger that started to roll off of the once polite red haired man in front of him as his KI threatened to break loose of his control. Placing his left hand on his sword, Kenshin slowly unsheathed it with his thumb, just enough for the room to hear the hiss of the steel sliding out. He had discovered it was a good way to make a point a long time ago. With a voice as cold and hard as the steel of his sakabatou he addressed the room, although his eyes never left the managers stunned face. "It disgusts me the way you all look at him. A young man who has fought bravely for this village. I know what you must be thinking. Wishing to call him a monster, to call him a demon for reason's out of his control. But the only monsters that _I_ see are the people in this room. _Cowards_ who would never be able to carry the responsibilities that boy does with even half of the dignity that he has. If I ever see any of you look at him or treat him as anything less than the hero that boy is again, you will taste the steel of my blade. And I could care less what your precious Hokage would have to say about it. I will not allow my _NEPHEW_ to be insulted in such a way any longer, that I will _not_." As he finished a nervous looking waitress came out of the back carrying his order. Allowing his sword to re-sheathed itself with a click, he bowed slightly to the nervous young lady and as he left, his eyes travel across the room, allowing everyone to see just how serious he truly was.

His temper was mostly back under control when he entered the small apartment. The people in this village were really starting to grate on his nerves. He could hear Naruto's chatter in the sitting room. His voice was friendly, but not nearly as sunny and enthusiastic as before, a sure sign as to how upset he had been. Kenshin walked into the sitting room, placing the large bag of food on the table and received a questioning look from Kaoru, he just shook his head slightly at her. He would tell her later.

Lunch itself was a fun affair. Naruto was eating up all the attention he was getting from Kenshin and Kaoru. He told them about the chunin exams, and his fight with Gaara and how he was able to summon the chief toad Gamabunta. He also peppered them with questions. Questions about his parents, questions about Tokyo and Kaoru's dojo and their friends there.

Once lunch was over and they had finished cleaning up Kenshin knew it was time to get down to business. They only had a couple more hours until the meeting with the Hokage and he wanted Naruto to understand what was about to happen.

"Naruto-kun." He said drawing the boys attention to him with the serious tone he was now using, "We have a meeting with Hokage-sama at four and I have some thing I need to discuss with you first."

"Okay…." Naruto replied, getting slightly nervous at his tone.

"I was allowed to view your parent's files last night by Hokage-sama so that I could ensure that everything was in order and that there was nothing else that needed to be done for you." He said as he looked Naruto in the eyes, his expression serious but not unkind. "We found something that neither of us were expecting to find though. Naruto-kun, do you know what a betrothal contract is?" He asked.

Naruto's face scrunched up a bit as he thought for a moment. "W-well, I think it has something to do with getting married or something right?" He replied, a little unsure of his answer.

"Very good. It is about getting married. It is a marriage agreement made between two families, usually to form an alliance through the marriage of their children." He said, carefully watching Naruto's reaction. When all he did was nod his understanding he continued. "Your parents had written up this contract with the thought in mind to make an alliance with the Hyuga. They wished for you and Hiashi's daughter Hinata to marry when the two of you reached your majorities."

Naruto's eye's widened at this. "WHAT!" He exclaimed "M-MARRY HINATA!" His face turned thunderous. "WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT?!"

Kenshin put up his hands in a placating manner, while his face remained serious. "Please calm down. I wish to discuss this with you man to man. Your father was the higher ranking individual so you have a choice to make. AND…" He said cutting off Naruto's reply. "It is only fair for you to take this seriously and give it fair consideration. It is something your parents wished for you and your decision not only affects your life but Hinata-dono's life as well." He said as Naruto seemed to settle back a little, although his annoyance was still evident on his face. "You speak of becoming Hokage yourself one day and a good leader needs to know how to make important decisions, decisions that affect the lives of the people in his care, that he does."

Naruto shifted on his cushion as he looked away with a pout. "B-but I like Sakura-chan…"

"Do you now. Does she like you back?" He asked curiously.

"Well…. " He let out a sigh. "Not really. She loves Sasuke…. I promised her I would bring him back for her too." Naruto said, his voice sad.

"Well then, what is the issue?" Kenshin asked. "If she loves someone else so much that you would feel the need to make such a promise then why would you not wish to find someone who could care for you just as much? I got a chance to meet Hinata-dono briefly yesterday as she left your room after leaving you a flower…"

Naruto looked up surprised. "She was the one bringing me flowers?" He had thought, well hoped, that it was Sakura.

Kenshin nodded slightly as he continued. "Yes she was. She seemed like a very sweet girl. It is sad that she is so shy. Iruka-dono said that her clan has all but destroyed her confidence. So maybe that is why she finds it so hard to talk to you." He said as he watched Naruto's face turned thoughtful. "It seems she admires your strength. I would not be surprised if she wishes to be strong like you as well."

He gave Naruto a moment to digest this information before he continued. "What can you tell me about Hinata-dono?"

"Well…." Naruto began, his voice a bit hesitant as he thought. "She is very quiet and shy. I have always thought she was kinda weird because of that though. She is strong too. She really gave her cousin Neji a run for his money when they fought during the chunin exams. She is nice too. She gave me some ointment after I beat the crap out of her teammate Kiba during the exams and she cheered me up when I was nervous about facing Neji in the finals…"

Kaoru, who was trying to be polite and keep out of their man talk, as hard as it was for her, let out a snort, drawing their attention to her. "The poor girl gives you ointment after you beat the crap out of her teammate and most likely her friend, and you can't figure out she likes you?" She asked in a disbelieving tone. "Men... really!"

Kenshin chuckled at Kaoru's outburst. "Now now Kaoru-dono. Naruto-kun is still young. He has much to learn about women still."

"And you're an expert all of a sudden?" She growled, crossing her arms across her chest in her annoyance which just earned her another chuckle.

"I didn't say that either." He replied before turning back to Naruto. "So, now that you have told me some things about Hinata-dono, why don't you tell me about Sakura-dono."

"Well, she is smart, and pretty and strong too." Naruto said, his voice slowly losing its enthusiasm as he continued. "Although she gets angry at me all the time and likes to call me an idiot and she hits me a lot, telling me I'm not as good as Sasuke-teme."

"Well it sounds like she doesn't really like you all that much. And I think you just want her acceptance, that it does. You should not waist your time chasing a girl who cannot love you. Now I will ask you another question that I wish you to answer truthfully. What do you think is important in a marriage?"

"What's important?" Naruto asked, confusion written on his face as he tried to decided on an answer. "Uh….love?" He replied hesitantly.

"That is one, although arranged marriages are not based on love, so what else would be important?" Kenshin asked as he carefully prodded Naruto to think. Something that was becoming painfully obvious the boy didn't do enough of.

"Ok...uh….how about…." Naruto trailed off for a moment as his face scrunched up a bit in concentration. After a moment he looked up a bit sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his head as he continued. "I...don't really know….."

"That's alright, how about respect? Do you believe that would be important in a marriage?" Kenshin asked realizing that Naruto really would not have much of an idea of what goes into a good relationship. He had no problem helping him figure it out though. Naruto was a good kid and he could tell his heart was in the right place. He just needed the right kind of guidance and Kenshin had no problem helping him with that. It was an uncle's job after all.

"Umm...yeah. I guess a marriage would be kinda weird if you didn't have respect for each other." Naruto agreed after a moment.

"I have one." Kaoru said as she refilled their cups of tea. "How about trust? You would want to marry someone you can trust completely right?" She asked as she settled back onto her cushion. "I know I could never marry a man I couldn't trust."

"That is a very good one Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said as he gave her a small nod. "Now you try coming up with another one Naruto-kun, now that you have a better idea of what we are talking about."

"Ok." Naruto replied as he shifted a bit on his cushion, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Uh...is caring the same as love ji-san?" Naruto asked a bit hesitantly a few moments later.

"That is a bit complicated. There are many different ways to love someone, and all those ways are a type of caring. So yes, you would want to care for them on some level." Kenshin replied. "There are other things too that are important for a couple to have. Giving each other time and attention. Being able to talk openly and honestly with each other. Encouraging each other when it's needed and even helping to correct each other when they make a mistake or are wrong. Although, I think for you especially Naruto-kun, acceptance would be important. You need to have someone who can accept you unconditionally, but you need to be able to give that in return as well, that you do."

Naruto digested this for a few moments before replying. "Ok, I think I get it…."

"Good. Now Naruto-kun, this next one is important so take your time with it ok?" Kenshin said, only continuing when he knew Naruto was paying full attention. "Which girl do you think would benefit most from _your_ time and attention? The one who only wishes for you to bring back the boy she loves or the one who needs your strength, your acceptance, so that she can find the strength within herself? If you chose to accept this betrothal then you will be able to help Hinata-dono in a way no one else can. It would be up to you to protect her, to care for her and help her become strong like you. And she in turn would be there to encourage you when you need it, would listen to you when you need someone to talk to and help you be strong when you feel weak." Kenshin said, trying to help Naruto understand by making things as easy to understand as he could. "Now take some time to think about it. The meeting is later this afternoon and we should get you a change of clothes that's a bit more suitable, that we should." He said eyeing Naruto's plain shirt and pants that iruka had grabbed for him. "Will you give me your word that you will think about this carefully?"

Naruto eyed him for a moment before agreeing. Once that was settled, it didn't take long for them to leave the small apartment and head across the village. Upon their arrival at Naruto's apartment, he seemed a bit nervous as he poked his head in first. With a quick look he seemed to relax a bit, saying something about Iruka having swept up for him. The apartment itself was tiny. Just two rooms and a bathroom. There was a small pile of dirty dishes piled up in the kitchen and as Kenshin went into the backroom that Naruto used as a bedroom he noticed the large pile of laundry. He shook his head sadly at this. He knew the mess was because there had been no one to teach him how to clean properly, nor, apparently, how to keep up on laundry. As he watched Naruto rummage through a small chest of drawers, he could hear Kaoru in the other room. It sounded like she had decided to keep busy while he helped Naruto change. Naruto was periodically holding up an article of clothing, mostly shinobi wear, for him to inspect and after a couple of minutes of this Kenshin moved to the drawers to look in them himself. It took him a couple of minutes of rummaging through shinobi wear, gear and random items before he spied something that might be good. Carefully he pulled the, surprisingly, neatly folded pile from the back of the drawer. He held up the top item, carefully shaking it out to see that it was a blue kimono with red and orange maple leaves on it. The fabric was of low quality, but the design was nice. The other item was a pair of Navy blue hamama pants, also of low quality, but clean.

"Why don't you wear these." Kenshin said as he turned to Naruto who was eyeing the items a bit warily.

"Aren't clothes like that only supposed to be for festivals and stuff?" Naruto asked sounding a bit unsure. "I mean, Iruka-sensei helped me get those for the festival after Baa-chan's inauguration as Hokage."

"Yes and no. As a shinobi these garments are not commonly worn. But I am sure you have seen the people in small towns and villages wear similar items. And similar items are also worn by a lot of the Samurai back in Japan, just a bit plainer in design. Besides, these are in good condition and they are clean. Wear these to show your respect to Hinata-dono and her father. No matter what your decision is, she deserves your respect, that she does."

Naruto eye the garments for a moment before taking them from Kenshin. "Alright, I'll wear them." He said as he crossed the small room and entered his bathroom to change.

While Naruto was changing, Kenshin went back into the other room to find Kaoru finishing the last of the dishes. "You know, it is really amazing that they have running water in a small apartment like this. Back in Tokyo you would only find it in the fancy western style hotels." She said as she carefully placed the items on the counter to dry and turned to Keshin. "But I would like to know what was going on at the tea house today. They were friendly last night, but today it was so different."

"Aa. Well, remember what I was telling you about how people view Jinchuriki, specifically the fact that people tend to fear them or view them as the monster that they contain? Those people were people like that. They fear him, loathe him even, for what is sealed within. They have not bothered to see how strong or brave he truly is, that they have not." He replied, his voice sad. He had only know Naruto a day, hours really, and he could see his strength, his pride, his bravery and his pain. Under all his loud bravado he was just a child looking for acceptance and a young man looking for guidance.

"Oh Kenshin! How could they think that! That is just so horrible!" Kaoru said, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "Even I can see he is just a boy! What are they, _blind_?"

"In a way they are. They are blinded by fear and their misconceptions. I have faith that as he grows as a shinobi he will prove them wrong. He will prove that he is truly a hero, just like the people of Nami no Kuni believe him to be, that he will." He said, his voice confident.

"You're right, he _will_ show those jerks!" Kaoru said cheering up a bit. Only someone who was strong of heart could have dealt with what she witnessed today and still be as honest and brave as Naruto was.

Just then Naruto poked his head out before coming into the room wearing the blue kimono and dark blue hakama. "Well, I am ready I guess." He said. His voice sounding a bit unsure.

"Well don't you look handsome!" Kaoru gushed. "I think Hinata will appreciate you looking so nice!" She said as she gave him a playful wink.

"Heh." He replied, rubbing the back of his head as he blushed in his embarrassment causing the adults to chuckle. "Umm…. uhh Ji-san?" He asked tentatively. "How will I know when I have made a decision. I-I mean, I have been thinking about it as carefully as I can and…. and I have been trying to be fair about it like you said too, but I still don't know….." He said, his voice unsure.

"Aa." Kenshin said as he moved to stand next to Naruto. As he faced him he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Much like in battle, you will know when the time comes. I am sure you are feeling nervous and unsure. Doubts are running circles in your head, but do not pay any attention to those doubts. They will only confuse you further. Listen only to your heart." Kenshin said as he slid his hand down to cover Naruto's chest. "Your heart will not lead you wrong. It was your heart that allowed you to be strong in battle, protecting your friends when all else failed and it will be your heart that will lead you to the right decision, that it will." He said. Stepping back he gave Naruto an encouraging smile. "Now Naruto-kun. It is time to see the Hokage and find out where your heart will lead you."

* * *

Once they arrived at the Hokage tower Shizune, after giving Naruto a playful wink and complimenting his outfit, which embarrassed him greatly, led them to a very formal receiving room. Tsunade was seated on a cushion on one side of a low traditional style table. The other side had several cushion's lined up neatly for them to sit upon. Kenshin ushered Naruto to one of the middle cushions where he plopped down without much grace. Removing his Sakabato from his belt, he lowered himself down and sat down on the cushion to Naruto's right. He placed the sword on the ground between them as Kaoru settled on the last cushion on Kenshin's right.

"You really seem to like sticking your nose in Naruto-kun's business." Kenshin said offhandedly to the Sannin who was standing in the corner.

"Well, what can I say, it's never boring." Jiraiya said sarcastically. "But we both know that this is an important meeting and depending on what happens, we may have things to discuss."

"Why don't you just go do some of your ' _research'_. I don't need my life showing up in one of your pervy books." Naruto growled. He was in no mood to deal with any extra stress at the moment.

"Pervy books?" Kaoru asked curiously.

"Yeah, Ero-sennin writes pervy books and likes to peek on the girls baths." Naruto said in a casual manner, like he was relaying old news.

"He does what!" Kaoru growled angrily as she started to rise.

"Not now." Kenshin said firmly as he placed a hand on her leg to stop her. His voice was serious and left no room for argument. Almost as soon as she settled back the door opened allowing a tall stern looking man to enter. He wore a long white robe. His long dark brown hair was left down and untied. His pupil less lavender eyes felt like cold steel as he took in the group seated before the Hokage. Kenshin felt Naruto shift nervously next to him. "It has been a long time Hyuga-dono." He said politely.

"Indeed." Hiashi replied. He turned slightly to motion to the figure behind him. Hinata moved around her father, she was wearing a light lavender Kimono with a slightly darker obi. Her short indigo hair shown in the light from the windows behind the Hokage.

What Kenshin noticed the most was the difference in her eyes from that of her father. While they were the same pupil less lavender eyes that her father boosted, hers were like looking into a pond full of koi fish. They were warm and gentle and her emotions flitted just below the surface for all to see.

Kenshin smiled slightly as he heard Kaoru whisper next to him. "Aww, she is soo cute!"

He turned warm, friendly violet eyes to the shy girl who was nervously settling on the cushion next to Naruto. "Hello Hinata-dono, it seems we meet again." He said, keeping his voice quiet and kind, the way she was nervously fidgeting and how she jumped at his voice reminded him a bit like that of a startled doe ready to run at the first sign of danger.

"O-oh, hello... I-I'm sorry but...I don't know your name." She replied shyly.

"Oh, that's right!" Naruto said as he perked up, forgetting his nerves for a moment in his overwhelming excitement, he turned shining azure eye's onto Hinata. "This is Kenshin Himura, he's my uncle!" He said, giving her a bright smile.

"Y-your uncle?" She asked tentatively, eyeing the friendly red haired man carefully. Kenshin felt like she was almost looking through him with those eyes of hers. After a moment it seemed like she found what she was looking for as she shifted on her cushion a bit and bowed low towards him. "I-it is a pleasure to meet you Himura-san. I'm glad that Naruto-kun has some family after all." She said from her bowed position.

"Now now, no need to be so formal with me." Kenshin chuckled. "I do not mind if you call me Kenshin, that I do not."

"If you are quite done, can we get this meeting started _Himura_ -san? I have important clan matters awaiting my return." Hiashi said as he turned his attention to the Hokage.

"Of course." Kenshin replied as he too turned to face the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, if you please."

Tsunade sat silently for a moment, carefully eyeing the two strong willed men before her. Hiashi she was used to dealing with, but Kenshin was still a bit of a mystery. She was no fool to think that he was a pushover or weak willed. He would do what he felt was best for Naruto, of that she had no doubts. "Alright then, now that everyone is settled, I do believe we all know why we are here correct?" She asked, receiving slight nods from both men she continued. "The betrothal contract that the late Yondaime-sama Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze had written up with you Hiashi Hyuga and you're late wife is up for review now that Kushina's younger brother, Kenshin Uzumkai Himura has been located." She said, causing Kenshin to narrow his eyes slightly at her for using his old clan name. "Kenshin, as you are aware, Naruto's father was of higher rank and therefore the final decision on whether or not this contract is to be carried out or to be terminated is up to you as Naruto's closest living adult relative. What do you have to say?"

"I cannot pretend to know what is best for either Naruto-kun nor Hinata-dono after having been _denied_ him for so long." He said, his voice stern. "However, I do think it is best if we ask them how they feel and the final decision should be left to Naruto-kun."

"This is ridiculous." Hiashi growled. "My daughter cannot be expected to have any say in this sort of decision."

"And why is that Hiashi-dono?" Kenshin asked.

"She is weak willed. She does not know what she wants nor does she know what would be best for her." He replied, his voice was hard but Kenshin caught the disappointment in his eyes. "She will only disappoint you and Naruto-san like she has disappointed her clan."

Naruto was stunned by what Hinata's father was saying. He didn't think Hinata was a disappointment. She was brave and strong when she wanted to be. But he had seen the look on her face as her father was talking, she was pained and sad. Like she believed the obvious lies that her father was spewing. It ground on his nerves when she flinched ever so slightly as he spoke, almost like the words had reached out and slapped her. His anger started to rise, he could barely see her eyes as she tried to hide behind her bangs, but he saw them, the glimmer of tears. He felt something in his chest constrict at the site and with that his head began to clear, the doubts being pushed away as bits of his previous conversations with his uncle ran through his head. ' _...her clan has all but destroyed her confidence…. I would not be surprised if she wishes to be strong like you as well…..the one who needs your strength, your acceptance….you will be able to help Hinata-dono in a way no one else can….'_ Naruto let out a frustrated growl as he turned his attention away from Hinata and outwards from his thoughts. The noise was enough to stop the adults conversation, which had been slowly turning into a heated argument. "You shouldn't talk about Hinata like that. You might be her dad but you're really blind if you can't see how strong she is!" He barked, his azure eyes snapping with his anger as he looked at Hiashi. He quickly turned to meet Kenshin's eyes. His violet eyes were stern, but there was understanding and compassion in them as well. Had he already guessed at his decision? "Ji-san, I want to help Hinata be strong like me. I… I think mom and dad might have been right about making this contract up so I would like to go through with it." He said, his voice confident.

"Are you sure Naruto-kun?" Kenshin asked. "Once it is decided there is no turning back."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I give you my word, and I never go back on my word!" He replied, his eyes full of determination.

Kenshin gave him a nod in understanding as he looked over at Hinata, who was looking at Naruto with amazement and a bit of hope as well. "Hinata-dono, what do you say? Would you like to be with Naruto-kun? To be his wife one day?" He asked gently. "Your opinion is just as important as Naruto-kun's, that it is."

"Yeah Hinata, do...do you want to be with me?" Naruto asked nervously as he turned to her as well. "Be honest ok? I promise I won't be mad as long as you're honest!"

Hinata ducked her head, her cheeks were on fire as everyone turned their attention towards her. It was almost too much for her, but this was her chance, her only chance. Taking a shaky breath to set her resolve as best she could she gave a small nod of her head. "Y-yes. I-I would like that v-very much." She said her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but loud enough for everyone to hear in the quiet room.

Kenshin gave her a small smile as she peeked up at him. "Alright then, we have a decision Hokage-sama, that we do." He said as he turned his attention away from the two young shinobi next to him. "I believe, after getting input from both affected parties that it would be in their best interest to go ahead and allow the contract to be activated."

"Then it's settled." Tsunade said, her voice firm and authoritative. "It is now official that Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga are betrothed and shall marry once they both have reached their majority." She said as she finalized the documents in front of her. "Is there any other business pertaining to these two that needs to be discussed?" She asked as she prepared to dismiss Hiashi and Hinata from the meeting.

Kenshin let out a small grunt as Kaoru elbowed him sharply in the ribs gaining his attention. "I meant what I said last night." She growled at him, gaining everyone's attention.

"Are you sure Kaoru-dono? It will be a lot of extra responsibility, that it will." He replied which just earned him an angrily growled 'Kenshin!'. "Alright, alright!" He said with a chuckle as he placed a hand up to fend off Kaoru's growing anger. "We have another matter that we wish to discuss." He said as he turned his attention back to Tsunade. "I have been made aware of the need to train Naruto-kun away from the village for the next few years to prepare him for the inevitable confrontations that await him three years hence. Kaoru-dono here" He said indicating the dark haired woman next to him "has graciously offered the use of her dojo for his training and as a place of refuge for him form the growing threat of Akatsuki. She would also like to extend this offer to Hinata-dono so that she may train alongside Naruto-kun. Kaoru-dono here is the assistant master to her family's kenjutsu style, the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu and I have completed my training in the kenjutsu style known as the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and I am also proficient in the basics of taijutsu. Unfortunately, we would need assistance from Jiraiya-dono for any necessary ninjutsu training. Would this offer be acceptable Hokage-sama?" He asked, trying to ignore the awed and hopeful look that Naruto was giving him.

Tsunade considered this for a moment before turning to Jiraiya. "What do you say Jiraiya, would you be willing to assist Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san in the training of these two?" She asked.

"It sounds good to me, with the condition that I am free to come and go as I please. I have to keep a close eye on the village's spy network and cannot afford to spend long periods of time away."

Tsunade nodded her understanding and turned to Hiashi. "Hiashi-sama what do you say, are you agreeable for Hinata to go and and be trained with Naruto by his uncle, Kaoru-san and Jiraiya of the sannin?"

Hiashi let out a sigh. "I have no reason to reject the offer. Maybe they can do something with her that I have been unable to." He said as he started to rise. "If you will excuse me, I have things that need my attention."

As he headed to the door, he paused for a moment. Turning over his shoulder he looked at his daughter who was rising to follow. "Do not bother Hinata. You may stay here with your fiancé and his family. I expect you to come home later." Turning his attention to Kenshin briefly. He continued. "When do you plan to leave?" He asked.

"The day after tomorrow, mid morning. You will need to ensure Hinata-dono has what she needs for the journey. A few comfortable but durable kimono will be necessary as she will not need the clothes of a shinobi where we will be headed. We will handle it from there." He said as Hiashi turned to leave once again.

Just before he left, he turned once again to Kenshin. "Take good care of her." He said as he locked eyes with him. His look conveyed more that his words did. She was still his precious daughter, even if he was disappointed with her as a shinobi.

Kenshin nodded, his eyes serious. He conveyed without words that he would care for her as if she were of his blood. The look was broken as Naruto pounced on him as he could no longer contain his excitement. Hiashi left with a shake of his head at the unseemly display of affection. The excited chatter of Naruto ringing in his ears along with the sounds of Kenshin's laughter.

It only took them a few more minutes to finalize the more minor details of their departure. As they were leaving, Tsunade tossed Kenshin a small pouch filled with coins. "I'm sure you're going to need to buy some clothes and equipment for Naruto before you leave. Whatever he needs is on us." She said as she shooed them out of her office so she could enjoy a much needed drink.

As they left the Hokage tower they were stopped by a shout.

"Naruto! There you are!" Yelled a pink haired girl as she ran up.

"S-Sakura-chan, uh… hey!" Naruto said a bit nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, you idiot! You didn't tell me you were being released today and I have been looking all over for you!" She huffed annoyed. "And what exactly are you doing here anyway? And why are you all dressed up?" She asked as she looked at him a bit confused.

"Oh...heh. Well we had an important meeting with baa-chan you see…...well, me and Hinata are kinda betrothed now and Kenshin Ji-san is going to train us too and…" Naruto said before being cut off by Sakura.

"Betrothed… You and Hinata? Ha! Yeah right!" Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "And what is with this uncle nonsense? Everyone knows you don't have any family! You really shouldn't go around spreading lies like that! I mean…."

"Naruto-kun isn't lying!" Hinata said cutting off Sakura's scolding. Losing her nerve a bit as all eyes were drawn to her. "I-I...that is w-we..."

"What Hinata-dono is trying to say, Sakura-dono was it?" Kenshin said as he placed a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Is that my _oi-kun_ , Naruto-kun, was telling you the truth. We just finished finalizing their betrothal contract and discussing their training with Hokage-sama. You should not be so quick to assume that your friend, that your _teammate_ , is lying to you, that you should not."

"Oh… But you don't look anything alike, and he never said anything about an uncle before!" Sakura whined, feeling a bit embarrassed at the scolding.

"Y-you're wrong." Hinata said quietly. "I-I just met Kenshin-sensei and I can tell that they are a l-lot alike. Y-you just don't know how to see what's right in front of you." She ducked her head down as she finished, her cheeks on fire from the embarrassment at having all the attention on her once again.

' _...Hinata..._ ' Naruto thought to himself as a grin spread across his face.

"Aa, Hinata-dono has good eyes doesn't she Naruto-kun? You will be able to learn much from her as well, that you will." He said giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Now Sakura-dono, did you need my nephew for something? We were going to get some dinner to celebrate their betrothal before escorting Hinata-dono home."

"Oh… well I… I wanted to talk to him…. About Sasuke-kun." She replied quietly, wiping the smile off of Naruto's face in the process.

"You should not worry so much about him. He chose his path and there is no saving him as he is now….BUT" Kenshin said as he raised his free hand to silence both Naruto and Sakura who looked ready to start arguing with him. "Once Naruto completes his training, and you Sakura-dono, have completed yours, then you _may_ have a chance. Although he may be beyond saving or he may not wished to be saved, do not forget that possibility. Now if you don't mind, we will be off." He said as he and everyone else moved off leaving Sakura standing there by the tower alone.

* * *

Naruto was walking along the street next to Kenshin and was listening with half an ear to him and Kaoru talking about the betrothal and just how large the Hyuga compound was. Naruto couldn't help himself as he looked over his shoulder back at the compound where they had just dropped Hinata off after having dinner together. His mind wandered over the meal a bit. The food had been good, but not as good as ramen of course, and everyone had talked freely and warmly with each other. Even Hinata had shyly joined in from time to time when she was asked a question and even asked a few of her own. Never once had she berated him or scolded him on how he ate like Sakura would have. If anything she had been patient and accepting, and this confused him a bit. Was she like that because they were betrothed….or was she just being Hinata? She had never been one to scold him in the past either, then again she could barely say two words to him without turning bright red. He let out a sigh as he glanced up at Kenshin and Kaoru, he thought for a moment on how they were treating him too and started wondering if this was what family was like.

"What's wrong?" Kenshin asked having noticed Naruto's change in mood.

"Oh...well...I was just thinking." He said as he turned away.

"Do you want to talk about it? I will help you with it as best I can, that I will." Kenshin replied.

"Well….I guess….I just still don't really get it." Naruto said as he looked up at him for a moment. "You know, this whole betrothal thing...and the way Hinata treats me." He let out a sigh before continuing. "I mean, I get the whole help each other get stronger stuff. It's kinda like being teammates, right? And yeah, we are supposed to marry or whatever. But I….I just….I don't know."

"Aa. Well...I suppose this would be confusing for you. Growing up alone you have only seen relationships from the outside so it is understandable for you to be confused." His uncle replied, getting a grasp on the problem he was having. "The relationship, the bond that you are starting to build with Hinata-dono is a very special one. In some ways you are right, it will be like you are teammates. You will be teammates in life, not just missions. Although ultimately the way you're betrothal goes, they way your eventual marriage goes, is up to the two of you and how close you become, and how well you treat each other, that it does." He said as they walked along. "And as for how she treats you, she is a shy girl, but she is respectful and kind. By the way she acted at dinner I would say that she is happy with the way things are going so don't worry too much about it, you will figure it out in time."

Naruto looked at him as he thought about what he said. "So our bond is special then?" He asked in a quiet voice. "What about love though? I mean, will we love each other someday?"

"Whatever you and Hinata end up sharing between the two of you will be just as real and special and unique as anything that someone else shares with their loved one." Kenshin replied, hoping at the moment he was right for Naruto's sake. "Just remember that neither of you are perfect people. You both have things in your past that you may not wish to share, or things that are painful to you. Both of you will make mistakes, say or do hurtful things, intentionally or not, out of fear or even anger. I am sure you have said things to your friends and teammates that were mean or hurtful that you regretted soon after haven't you?" He asked receiving a small nod from Naruto. "Just remember to try and be honest and understanding as much as possible with her, I am sure she will do the same for you. And above all else, just accept her for who she is as I am sure she will accept you for who you are. Everything else with sort itself out."

"That is an awful lot to remember." Naruto said as he looked up at him. ' _But it does make sense...I guess_.'

Kaoru moved around Kenshin to walk on Naruto's other side. "Think of it this way." She said, gaining the blonde boy's attention. "Treat her the way you want her to treat you. She was nice to you at dinner because she likes you and wants you to like her back right?"

"I guess. Do you really think she likes me though, and isn't just pretending or something?" He asked a bit unsure. Hinata was a nice girl, he knew that much for sure, but he just didn't really know her.

Kaoru rolled her eyes at the question. "Naruto, I'm a girl and I can tell she likes you, trust me ok? Anyway, she was asked her honest opinion on if she would want to be betrothed to you and she said she did. If she didn't like you she definitely would not have agreed to spend the rest of her life with you. Now, another way to see this is that she is your girlfriend."

"G-girlfriend!" He said blushing brightly.

Both Kaoru and Kenshin looked at him for a moment before laughing a bit at his reaction. "Yes girlfriend." Kaoru said as she continued to giggle a bit at him. "Granted the betrothal contract had been written up by your parents, but you both did agree to go through with it. So technically you did ask her out and she did say yes. So I would say in this case it's a lot more like you asked her out with marriage being a guaranteed result than just for a date or two. So yes, she is your girlfriend and you would be her boyfriend."

Naruto looked at her wide eyed for a long moment, still blushing heavily. "I didn't think about that." He said as he turned back around. Boy did he have a lot to think about when he got home.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 5

The next morning Kenshin had set Kaoru on the task of helping Naruto cleanup his apartment and help him pack the few items he wanted to take with him while he went in search of some clothes and equipment for him. He had no trouble finding a shop that sold the more traditional style clothing Naruto would need for his stay in Tokyo. He was even able to get the items for a good price, which made him happy. It took him a little longer to find a weapons shop that sold bokken though. It seemed that kenjutsu had fallen in popularity the last few years and the ones who did still teach it didn't bother using the wooden training swords all that much. It had been his third stop when he found some. He had entered the shop to find a bored looking young lady sitting behind the counter. She couldn't have been more than a year or two older than Naruto he guessed. Her brown hair was split and tied up into two buns on top of her head and she had warm brown eyes.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked as she leaned heavily on the counter, her chin resting in one hand.

"I hope so miss. Would you happen to have any bokken in stock?" Kenshin asked, giving the young lady a friendly smile.

"Bokken?" She asked perking up a bit. "We don't get many requests for those old style training swords anymore…. But maybe….." She said as she looked thoughtfully towards the back storage area. "Wait right here, let me go check to see if we still have them." And she was off to the back of the shop in a flash.

Kenshin set the large paper wrapped bundle of clothes down on the counter as he waited. He could hear her rummaging around from where he stood. He started to get a bit concerned when he heard a crash and was contemplating going in back himself to check on her when she popped back out of the back carrying a large, cloth wrapped. Item.

"Sorry about that!" She said cheerfully. "They were a bit buried back there but this should be it." She said as she unwrapped the package. Inside were a pair of solid wood bokken. They were thick, sturdy pieces that were well crafted and polished. "It seems to be your lucky day! We had two left and if I remember correctly, these were specially made with chakra enhance wood for extra durability and strength. They are almost as strong as steel! We used to carry them all the time when I was little, but for some reason my parents stopped ordering them. Sooo… What do you need them for?" She asked curiously.

"Aa, these are fine looking bokken, that they are! Me and a dear friend of mine are going to be teaching my nephew and another young lady kenjutsu. How much for the pair? I do need to get moving Kaoru-dono and Naruto-kun are waiting for me." He said as he inspected the bokken, running his hand over the smooth wood.

"Wait! Did you say Naruto?" She asked perking up. "Is he the nephew you were refering too? I didn't know he had any family!"

"Oh.. well it's a bit of a long story…" He said not sure if he just ruined the deal or not.

"Tell you what, I will give these to you, how's that? I owe Naruto big time for what he did for my teammates. He got Neji to stop with all that fate crap he was always spewing and Lee is getting better because he brought Tsunade-sama back to the village!" She said smiling brightly up at him. "So who is the girl your training with him? Is she anyone I know?"

"Oh, well if you are Neji-dono's teammate that you would most likely know her. We will be training his cousin Hinata-dono." Kenshin replied, feeling a bit relieve that he happened upon someone who was friendly towards Naruto. "But are you sure you should be giving me these? They are very well made and look to be quite valuable as well."

"Don't worry about it! They have been in back collecting dust for a couple of years now, and it's one less thing I have to keep track of!" She said.

"Well if you are sure. Then I greatly appreciate this, that I do." He said as he gave her a polite bow. As he left the shop, the bundle of clothing under one arm and the re-wrapped bokken in the other he was stopped as she called out to him.

"Hey, tell Naruto and Hinata that Tenten says 'Hi' would you?" She asked cheerfully.

"I will, thank you again Tenten-dono." Kenshin replied and was gone.

* * *

The rest of the preparations went smoothly. Kaoru had been impressed by the craftsmanship of the bokken that Tenten had given them. They were even as heavy as a Japanese katana, which spoke of the density and strength of the wood used. The next day went just as well. They left the village just after mid morning with both young shinobi and Jiraiya in tow. Jiraiya had informed them that he would only be traveling with them for the first day so that he could go over some information he had on Akatsuki and to show Kenshin Naruto's seal and what would need to be done if he should start to lose control, which had worried Kenshin a bit.

" _Take these." Jiraiya said as he handed a small pile of seals to Kenshin. They were standing alone in the woods, not far from camp where everyone else was sleeping peacefully. "If you are unable to knock him out, place a small amount of your chakra into one of these seals and place it on his forehead. It will instantly suppress the Kyuubi's chakra and allow him to regain control. We do not know how many tails he can handle before losing himself completely and that is something I will be working on with him myself. Now I also need you to take this." He said handing him another seal. "This one is a transportation seal used by the toads of Mount Myoboku. It is the same seal that we have hidden just outside of Konoha to allow me to send messages via the toads to the Hokage. You need to have Naruto place it using his chakra in a well hidden location, preferably under water. I will be able to use Gama to reverse summon myself there so make sure the seal is placed in a location near the dojo."_

" _Alright. Is there anything else I need to be aware of Jiraiya-dono?" He asked._

" _At the moment no. Just make sure that he works on those chakra control exercises that I showed him and have him work on controlling his temper." Jiraiya said as he started moving off. "So I guess I will see ya around. It may be a month or two before I can get the time to visit. So don't let him do anything stupid, alright?" He said and was gone, quickly swallowed up by the dark woods._

The rest of their journey back to Tokyo went by quickly. Naruto had been disappointed that when they reached Nami no Kuni that they had to wait until the middle of the night to cross town and go to the port to book their passage to Japan. He had wanted to say hi to Tazuna and his family, but Kenshin had to explain that they couldn't afford for anyone in the village to know he had come through there. It was the only port that linked the elemental nations with the outside world and if the Akatsuki caught wind of his presence there then they may figure out where he was going, putting everyone in danger.

It was late afternoon on the tenth day after they had sailed out of Nami no Kuni as they turned down the last road that they need to travel to reach the dojo. It wound along side a small river and it was well shaded from the mid summer sun by lots of large Sakura trees. ' _We always seem to travel down this road when we come home.'_ Kenshin thought to himself, thinking back to their return from Kyoto and the fight with Shishio just weeks before receiving that mysterious message. Looking over his shoulder at the two stragglers behind him and Kaoru he couldn't help but smile. Both were tired and dusty from the long walk from the port but were taking in their surroundings with interest. Naruto's excited chatter could be heard as he pointed out neat looking things to Hinata as they walked and every once in awhile, her quiet voice could be heard replying to a question, or giggling at a joke or something silly he said. She had come out of her shell a bit during the trip. She still stuttered and got flustered and embarrassed easily, even fainting a couple of times when Naruto had been too enthusiastic about something and had gotten in her face, but was now able to speak her mind more comfortably than when she had been with her father that day in the Hokage's office. He figured that this was how she probably was with her genin team by how naturally she seemed to have relaxed.

"Those two are something else." Kaoru said as she too peeked over her shoulder at the two kids behind her. "You would never know that they have only been the best of friends for less than two weeks by the way they act."

"I know. One would think they were raised together by how easily they interact… most of the time anyway." Kenshin replied with a chuckle. "Although, it helps that they have quite a bit of shared history, that it does."

Kaoru chuckled herself a bit. "Yeah really... You know Kenshin, I am going to have to try and find some more students so that I can start teaching out of the dojo again." She said as she turned back around.

"That is understandable. That is what the dojo is for after all." Kenshin said, looking at Kaoru from out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe we should sit down and figure out a training schedule for these two as well. I am not sure how the boys you train will take to having a girl train with them, even with such a lovely sensei as yourself teaching them." He teased, causing Kaoru to blush a bit.

"Unfortunately your right. Even Yahiko might get a bit bent outta shape over it. I just hope he gets along with Naruto. They are a lot alike." She said as they came around a bend in the road, the front of the dojo coming into view just ahead.

"That is true. It will take some getting used to for both of them, but I sincerely hope that once they get used to each other they can be good friends, that I do." Kenshin replied as he too spied the entrance gate to the dojo. They both shared the same thought as they looked at it with relief ' _...Home at last….'_

As they got closer the gate slid open and out stepped Dr. Gensai with his granddaughters Ayame and Suzume in tow, and was closely followed by Megumi and Sano.

"Hey everyone, we're back!" Kaoru called as she waved happily at the group, drawing their attention.

Ayame and Suzume squealed happily in unison "Aunty Kaoru! Uncle Kenny!" as they rushed over and ran head long into their legg's causing the two adults to laugh happily at the enthusiastic greeting.

"Why were you gone so long uncle Kenny?" Ayame questioned with Suzume chirping in with a "Yeah uncle Kenny?" as she clutched at his hakama.

"It is good to see the two of you too, that it is." He laughed as he bent over to pick up Suzume. "I had to go visit someone very important, that I did." He said as he peeked over his shoulder to watch as Naruto and Hinata finally caught up to them. "We brought home some very important visitors and they are going to train here for a while too. Would you like to meet them?" He asked as the two girls peeked around him curiously. Meanwhile Dr. Gensai, Sano and Megumi had caught up them as well.

"Visitors? These two children here? Oh how lovely!" Dr. Gensai said as he too spotted Naruto and Hinata standing behind Kenshin and Kaoru.

"Alright everyone!" Kaoru said gaining everyone's attention. "This young lady here..." She said as she moved to stand behind the two genin and placed a gentle hand on Hinata's shoulder, who was hanging her head shyly. "Is Hinata Hyuga and this young man here..." She said as she placed her other hand on Naruto's shoulder "is Naruto Uzumaki. They are going to be learning swordsmanship with me and Kenshin for the next couple of years." Which earned the two young shinobi a round of hello's.

"And Naruto…" Kenshin began as he bent down to carefully place Suzume onto her feet once more as he addressed the group. "Is also my nephew."

For a moment there was total silence as everyone took in what Kenshin said as they eyed the blonde young man curiously.

"Ok, you got me Kenshin." Sano said as he moved forward and slapped Kenshin on the shoulder playfully. "The joke is on me right?" He asked as he chuckled a bit.

"No Sano, I am quite serious, that I am." Kenshin replied looking up at his taller friend. "He is my nephew, my nee-san's only child, that he is."

As Kenshin and Sano were talking Ayame and Suzume were shyly staring at Naruto and Hinata. Naruto gave them a friendly smile as he didn't want the two little girls to be nervous, which earned him shy smiles in return. After a moment Suzume left her spot clinging to Kenshin's leg and leapt at Naruto and squealed "Naruto-niisan!" which did several things. It startled the blonde boy enough that he wasn't prepared for the impact and fell on his butt with Suzume landing on top of him. It drew all the adults attention to him and Hinata as she was also unprepared for the sudden attack of the little girl and she jumped herself, her head snapping up and her eyes wide as she let out a squeak of surprise which allowed the new adults in the group to get their first look at her eyes.

"Oh, you poor dear." Megumi said as he rushed forward and grabbed Hinata by her chin so she could better see her eyes, which in turn startled Hinata more who let out another frightened squeak as she tried to pull away. "Ken-san, Kaoru, what do the two of you think you are doing bringing this poor blind girl here? You can't teach her swordsmanship!" Megumi scolded as she continued to study Hinata's eyes as she tried in vain to pull away.

Naruto, picking up on Hinata's distress, let out a low growl. "Get your hands off of her!" He snapped as he carefully untangled himself from Suzume. Once he was on his feet he forcefully removed Megumi's hand from Hinata's face and placed himself protectively in front of her.

"It's alright Naruto, Megumi-dono is a doctor, she didn't mean Hinata-dono any harm." Kenshin said as he moved towards them.

"So? That doesn't give her the right to grab at Hinata like that!" He barked back, thoroughly annoyed at the moment. "And why the hell does she think she's blind anyway?! Hinata can see better than most people I know!"

"Megumi didn't know that Naruto, it's ok really." Kaoru said as she too tried to calm him down and defuse the situation. She was quite surprised at how protective Naruto was acting at the moment, though she felt that it might be he was more nervous about meeting so many new people at once that actual anger he was feeling. They had told him about their friends, but actually meeting them wasn't going as smooth as they thought it would.

"Na-Naruto-kun, it's ok. She just startled me t-that's all. She didn't hurt me." Hinata said quietly as she reached forward and gripped the sleeve of his light blue kimono. Both Kenshin and Kaoru were surprised by what happened next.

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Hinata's sincere expression and relaxed. All the fight drained out of him and he even let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, ok. As long as you're ok Hinata." He said as he rubbed at the back of his head and turned to give Megumi an apologetic look. "Sorry if I was rough with you." He said quietly.

"I'll be damned." Sano said as he took this in and started to laugh. "Yep, he's your nephew alright!" Naruto and Kenshin looked over at him, their confusion evident on their faces.

"Oro?"

"Huh?"

Sano doubled over as he laughed even harder and everyone of the other adults there started to laugh as well. "Ok…. you're killing me… I believe you..." Sano panted out as he started to walk away.

"Why is everyone laughing? Did I miss something?" Kenshin asked as he turned curious eyes towards Kaoru.

"It's just that you two" she said indicating him and Naruto "were acting a lot alike for a moment there."

"Well, I did say he was my nephew, that I did." He replied, still confused. "Hey Sano, where's Yahiko?" He asked as he turned back to his taller friend.

"I am going to go get him." Sano wheezed as he moved away. "He is helping at the Akabeko. Although it's more like he's flirting with Tsubame."

"Oh. Hey Sano, hold on!" Kenshin said as he quickly walked over to him. "Grab us a couple of hot pots and put the change on your tab." He said as he handed Sano some money. "It has been a long day and it would be nice not to have to cook a full meal, that it would."

"Yeah, no problem." Sano said as he tucked the money away carefully.

"Alright everyone, let's go inside." Kaoru said as Sano moved off down the street. "We need to get you two settled and we should probably put on some rice and tea for when Sano gets back with dinner." She said as she shooed the two dust covered shinobi through the gates into the small Kamiya compound.

Of course small was a relative term. To Hinata the Kamiya compound was small and homey feeling compared to her clan's compound which housed twenty different families plus the main family and clan elders and had three different training dojo's. To Naruto the place was huge. The dojo itself was large, with the main entrance on one side facing the main gate and front courtyard, another entrance straight across the dojo from that main entrance that opened up onto the back court yard between the dojo and the house and had a small entrance at one end that opened up to the yard next to the dojo and the house, with an engawa along the back. The house, which was located behind the dojo, was one story and looked to have many rooms that opened off of its engawa. The yard behind the dojo and surrounding the house featured a large storage shed in the back left corner of the yard with a medium sized, and sad looking, vegetable and herb garden next to it, wooden racks for drying clothes and a well. Off to the right of the back courtyard was a small bath house with a neatly stacked woodpile that was situated between the dojo and house. The outer perimeter wall of the compound was lined with ornamental shrubs and small trees. To say Naruto loved it would be an understatement.

Once inside the house, Kaoru showed Hinata to a small room next to hers. It opened from the central hallway of the house and had a pair of shoji that opened onto the engawa facing the bath house and was located at the far corner of the house from the dojo. Inside there was a small storage trunk, a chest of drawers and a small table. Naruto's room, which was just across the hall and two doors down, opened onto the engawa on the far side of the house and faced the outer back perimeter wall. It was located between Kenshin's room and Sano's room and held the same minimal furniture. Both young shinobi were left to unpack while Kaoru went to hunt down the extra futons and bedding for them and Kenshin went to start the rice and tea.

Once Kaoru had left, Hinata moved to the small chest of drawers and started to unpack her bag. In one drawer she carefully placed the four kimono she had brought with her. In the next drawer she placed the two spare obi that she brought along with the two soft cotton sleeping yukata. The next couple of items she placed in the back of the drawer. These were two pairs of black pants, two black short sleeve shirts and two standard shinobi mesh armored shirts. She wasn't sure if she should have brought them, but didn't know what she would use for training, and just the thought of fighting in a kimono without pants on underneath had embarrassed her. Once she had finished with putting the last few clothing items away, which consisted of a few pairs of socks and underwear, she moved over to the chest and opened it. Digging into the bottom of her bag, she pulled out her small medical kit and placed that off to one end of the chest. Next to that she placed her larger weapons pouch where she had placed her hitai-ate and was also fully stocked with kunai, shuriken, paper bombs and several small, carefully rolled bits of tripwire. Then she placed in her smaller leg pouch and the two small storage scrolls that Tenten had given her. One held kunai and the other held shuriken. Next went the three training scrolls that her father had given her. One was on chakra control and the other two held the gentle fist kata's she had just started learning along with the offensive and defensive moves that the kata's were designed to prepare her for. As she reached into her bag, she pulled out the last few items. One was a tin filled with the dried herbs she used to make her healing ointment, then there was a small packet of medicinal herb seeds, a small sewing kit, a package of her favorite soap, her wallet, a small book on medicinal herbs and their uses and lastly a small photo album. She had very carefully picked out about a half dozen pictures of her friends and family to bring with her. Once her bag was empty, she rolled it up and stuffed it carefully into the corner of the chest. Feeling quite pleased with herself at being done so quick, she closed the lid, placed her bokken on top of the chest and went to poke her head out of the shoji to see if Kaoru-sensei had found the bedding yet. Hearing a bunch of voices down at the other end of the house, she slipped out of her room and walked down the engawa, her bare feet not making a sound.

She passed Kaoru's room and two other rooms that were closed up before coming to an open shoji. She peeked through to see that this room was a large room that took up the width of the house with a pair of shoji that stood open in the center. The far side of the room also held a few cushions as well and she could see Ayame and Suzume were playing some kind of game, but the voices she had heard were coming from the first part of the room. The side of the room closest to her had a large table that was surrounded by cushions in various colors and patterns next to which the man called Sano was standing with a large package in hand talking to a shorter woman in a dark orange striped Kimono and Megumi. They both had their backs to her and were also talking to a boy with spiky black hair who was wearing a patterned yellow kimono and green hakama. She assumed that must be Yahiko as he was the only other kid that Kaoru-sensei and Kenshin-sensei had talked about being there. They seemed to be arguing about something so she quietly slipped passed the open shoji and continued down the engawa. Now at the far end of the house she peeked into the open shoji here to find the kitchen. It was set up similar to the kitchens she had seen in the smaller villages when out on missions. Although this room was larger than those usually were. There was a good sized table in the center for prepping food, a large basin against one wall for washing dishes, a wood stove with four burners and a small oven attached to it for cooking and some cabinets, shelves with pots and pans, and baskets for carrying or storing food. There was two other shoji to this room, one was directly across and opened onto the engawa on the back of the house and the other connected it to the area in the main room where the table was located for easy access. Sano's voice could easily be heard from the other room as he continued to berate Yahiko about something.

She quietly slipped into the room and approached the red headed man standing at the prep table. "D-do you need any help Kenshin-sensei?" She asked as she reached him. He was placing a pile of bowls onto a tray to bring into the other room.

"Oh, hello there Hinata-dono. Done unpacking already?" He asked, giving her a friendly smile.

"Yes." She replied as she peeked around him at the open shoji to the next room as the argument seemed to be heating up.

"Don't worry about those two." He said chuckling a bit. "They bicker a lot, but they are really good friends, that they are. The water for the tea should be done if you could pour it into the teapot for me so that it can steep, that would be much appreciated." He said as he indicated the large tea kettle on the table a few feet away."

"Alright Kenshin-sensei." She replied and went about her task as he moved off into the other room to place the dishes onto the table. She had just finished when Kenshin came back into the room, the orange clad lady following close behind.

"Oh! You must be Hinata-chan, right? Aren't you the cutest little thing!" The brown haired woman said as she walked over the Hinata, a big friendly smile on her face.

"This is Tae-dono, she is a good friend of Kaoru-dono's and manages the Akabeko. She wanted to stop in and say hello when she found out we were back." Kenshin said as refiled the tray with the teapot and cups.

"H-hello Tae-san." Hinata said quietly as she gave a small bow.

"And so polite too! Kaoru-chan must be soo happy to have such a nice girl staying here!" Tae said cheerfully.

"Are you almost done in there? The foods going to get cold." Sano said as he appeared in the open shoji.

"Well things would be done faster if you helped a bit Sano. And we have to wait for the others to finish what they are doing. It would be rude to eat without everyone here, that it would." Kenshin replied without looking up.

"Oh, hey little missy, I didn't realize you were in here too. Finished unpacking already?" Sano asked as he casually leaned in the doorway.

"Yes." She replied shyly.

"Do you need any help in here Kenshin-san? I don't mind giving you a hand while I'm here." Tae asked as she turned to the redhead.

"You could bring in the rice if it would not be too much trouble." He replied, indicating a large wooden container that was covered and had a rice paddle placed on top.

"I sure can." She replied as moved over to pick up the rice and headed into the other room.

After she left, Yahiko appeared in the open shoji. A large frown on his face.

* * *

Naruto had just finished unpacking and was walking down the engawa along the back of the house. As he moved passed an open shoji he spied a woman in an orange striped kimono placing a large wooden container on the table on the other side of the large room. She was talking to that Megumi lady and Ayame and Suzume were trying to get the two women's attention. Deciding he didn't feel like dealing with all those girls at the moment he continued onto the end of the house and poked his head into the open shoji to find the kitchen. He saw Hinata standing with her back towards him, his uncle was standing at the far end getting items together for dinner. As he started to step into the room, he noticed Sano leaning in the open shoji to the main room of the house and a black haired kid standing next to him who was frowning darkly.

Yahiko eyed the dark haired girl with the strange pale eyes. His frown deepened as she just looked back at him shyly. What did this mouse of a girl have that he didn't? He switched his focus to Kenshin who was placing utensils on the tray with the teacups and teapot and was otherwise ignoring him. He let out a frustrated growl as he addressed the red haired man. "You're going to train a girl?! I had to work hard for you to even consider training me and you are just going to take this girl on and some other kid out of the blue?!"

"I am working with them on something else. They are going to start working on swordsmanship with Kaoru-dono, just like you did, that they are." Kenshi said looking up at Yahiko. "They have come here to become strong, just like you have. You have nothing to get worked up over."

"Nothing to get worked up over?! You and Kaoru go running off for a month and then come back with a nephew you didn't tell anyone you even had and that you are going to train him and some weak looking girl!" Yahiko growled back, his frustration evident. He had worked so hard to get Kenshin's attention and now these two just appear and he agrees to train them, it was too much for the young swordsman's nerves.

"Hinata's not weak!" Naruto growled from the open shoji behind Hinata, drawing all eyes to him. "She could wipe the floor with a punny little kid like you!"

"Little! I'm NOT LITTLE" Yahiko yelled at the strange blonde kid. "Who are you to talk anyway! You don't look like you're any bigger than me!"

"So?! You're still the one acting like a little kid! You wouldn't know a strong opponent if they bit you on your ass! So don't you go calling Hinata weak! I have seen her fight and you wouldn't stand a chance if she were to get serious with you!" He barked back as he moved into the room.

No one noticed Sano cover his mouth as he tried desperately to suppress his laughter. These two spunky kids were turning out to be great entertainment.

"Na-Naruto-kun, it's ok, really. I'm s-sure he is just upset and doesn't mean it." Hinata said as she tried to defuse the growing tension between the two boys.

"Oh great, she stutters too! How pathetic can you get!" Yahiko growled.

"Take that BACK! She is anything but pathetic you bastard!" Naruto yelled as he moved forward, his anger growing.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kenshin yelled angrily, gaining everyone's attention. "Yahiko, I am _ashamed_ that you would be so rude to a new student. You are Kaoru's apprentice and your behavior reflects not only on yourself as a swordsman, but also on Kaoru as your sensei and the dojo as well! It is your duty as her apprentice to _help_ your fellow students, not belittle them!" He said, scolding the dark haired boy before turning to his nephew. "Naruto, what did I tell you about controlling your temper! I understand that you were just defending Hinata, but you need to get that temper of yours under control! Do you not remember anything that Jiraiya-dono said? How do you expect to be able to undergo the special training that Jiraiya-dono has for you if you can't even keep your temper in check over something like this! Hinata is more than capable of taking care of herself, so the two of you can knock it off, I don't want to hear another word about this out of either of you, understood?!"

"Yes"

"Alright"

"Good. Now go and get settled. Once Dr. Gensai and Kaoru finish we are going to eat." Kenshin said as he took the full tray into the other room, passing by Yahiko and Sano as he moved into the other room.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all will enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 6

Kaoru and Dr. Gensai, who she had roped into helping her get the extra futons out of the storage shed, arrived back in the main room of the house a few minutes later. Once everyone was settled Kenshin served everyone dinner with some help from Tae, who dished out the rice, and Hinata, who volunteered to pour the tea. Naruto was impressed by the food, although he wasn't shy about it being inferior to his prefered ramen, much to Tae's amusement. She even commented on how lucky Tenchi-san was to have such a devoted customer.

During dinner, Hinata worked up the courage to ask Kaoru about the garden and if she could grow some of her medicinal herbs that she used for her ointment, which Naruto swore was the best ever. This piqued Megumi's interest, which lead to the two discussing herbs for a few minutes. Come to find out the herbs that Hinata used, which were fairly common in the woods around Konoha, were extremely rare and valuable in the Tokyo area. In the end it was decided that the garden needed to be cleaned up and enlarged to enable them to grow more food and Hinata's herbs. With fall approaching, they would need to do this soon so they could put in the cool weather fall crops. After hearing about the argument the boys had, Kaoru decided that it would be the perfect chore for the boys, which didn't go over well.

After dinner Sano approached Kenshin who was alone in the kitchen washing the dishes. "Hey Kenshin, I was wondering something…" He said, catching the other man's attention.

"What is it Sano?" He asked as he glanced up from his chore.

"Well, it's about the little missy, Naruto seemed confident in her abilities and I can't help be a bit curious about how much of it was just smoke he was trying to blow up Yahiko's ass and how much isn't…. And what exactly are you training them in if not swordsmanship?" Sano asked, curiosity written all over his face.

Kenshin smiled, he had wondered how long it would take Sano to bring this up. "Well to be honest, I have not seen her fight yet so I cannot tell you exactly how good or bad she is. However, I do know for a fact that she has trained since she was small in her family's taijutsu style. As far as training goes, until they are ready to start working on kenjutsu with me, I will be helping them work on their taijutsu, that I will." he replied.

His interest piqued, Sano gave Kenshin a smile. "Taijutsu as in hand to hand combat stuff right?" Receiving a nod from Kenshin he continued. "Can I help then? You know I'm your man for that kinda stuff and I just gotta see for myself what little missy can do. I mean it would serve Yahiko right if she could lay him out!" He said with a laugh.

"Well I don't know if that would be a good idea…" Kenshin said, while he trusted Sano he knew that revealing too much of Naruto's and Hinata's skills too soon would raise many questions, questions that he was not prepared to answer and questions that could possibly put them in danger. After all, there was a world of difference from the ninja's that Sano knew, like MIsao and the Oniwabanshu, and a trained shinobi from the elemental nations. While there were some similarities, hand to hand fighting skills, small weapons and kunai usage being the majority of it. There were no Kekkei Genkai or Doujutsus here, known ones anyway. Although Kenshin did have some theories on that ability that Jin-e had. So the risk of their shinobi abilities being looked at as something like magic or something evil, like demon possession or other nonsense, by the people of Japan was high. The risk of not only being scorned or shunned, but hunted as well, was very real. In general the people in the outside world were very superstitious, although there were always exceptions to this as well.

It had been difficult enough trying to make Naruto understand this and how he needed to keep the finer details of his home and abilities quiet, the fact that the elemental nations were kept secret from the rest of the world confused him. Hinata had understood well enough though. She was a smart girl and knew that the world held many dangerous people in it who would not hesitate to use shinobi for their own purposes, after all it happened already and the thought of it happening on an even grander scale was frightening. She was able to make Naruto understand a little by referring to the guy Gato that he fought. The thought of more Gato's hadn't sat well with him. And kami-sama save them if a man like Kanryuu Takeda had hired missing nin from the elemental nations and not Aoshi and the Oniwabanshu.

"Come on Kenshin, it's not like I would hurt either of them. I know how to pull punches too ya know. They need someone with experience to practice against don't they? And anyway, as much as I hate to admit it, the group of us tend to get sucked up into other people's problems, not to mention your old enemies, where we need to fight more often than not and it would be good if we know those two can defend themselves. I wouldn't want someone grabbing your nephew for leverage against your or the little missy either. I can't imagine how Naruto would react if the little missy got hurt or killed. He does seem quite fond of her." Sano said, his voice having gotten quite serious. He didn't like the thought of those two kids not being able to at least put up a good fight if there was trouble. Yahiko had proven he could hold his own well enough so he didn't worry about him too much.

Kenshin looked at him for a moment, a bit taken aback by how much thought Sano had apparently put into this. "You are right Sano. We do need to make sure they are prepared. Naruto would not take kindly to anything happening to Hinata. They have become quite close on the trip here, not to mention the betrothal…."

"Betrothal?! They're betrothed?!" Sano asked shocked.

"I forgot to mention that didn't I?" He said a bit embarrassed. "It had been a wish of my nee-san and her husband. Minato-san had been close to Hinata's father and they had wanted to form an alliance between Hinata's clan and themselves, that they did." He said as he placed the last of the cleaned dishes to the side to dry. "But as you have noticed Naruto is very protective of her. He… has not had it easy growing up…." He said, not wanting to go into much detail, but at the same time wanting Sano to understand at least a little. "She is a precious friend to him and he to her. But still, there are things…. Things that could be dangerous to their safety if it was to get out that they are here…."

"He had it rough growing up huh. What exactly do you mean by things could be dangerous? You haven't exactly hidden the fact that they are here or who they are or anything." Sano asked a bit confused.

"Well, his parents died the night he was born, and he was not treated well by the villagers in his home village. The leader of the village tried to protect him I suppose, but still…." Kenshin said, his voice sounding sad.

"Well, if he wasn't being treated well, why didn't you put a stop to it then?" Sano asked.

"I was lied to. I had been informed that he had perished with his parents." He replied, a touch of anger lacing his voice at the memory of the decet.

"Well that was rotten of them, but you're sure he is actually your nephew though right?" He asked

"Yes. He got his father's coloring, but his spirit is that of my nee-san. There is no mistaking it, that there is not." Kenshin's said as he worked on the last few dishes.

"That still doesn't explain the danger you were talking about though, so what is the deal with that?" He asked again.

Kenshin looked at him for a long moment trying to figure out how to explain without giving away their secrets. Sano could tell what he was doing, picking and choosing what to say and it annoyed him. "Look" He said."I can tell you don't want to tell me everything, and that's fine, whatever, but if there is going to be trouble having those two here then I should know so I can help. I can't help if you don't tell me anything which is just going to put us all in more danger. And does missy know? She should know what's going on too you know."

"She knows and has been sworn to secrecy. A lot of it has to do with the special training he will be receiving from Jiraiya-dono when he comes to visit. But I will tell you what I can." Kenshin said as he thought carefully. "To begin I suppose I should say that they are both shinobi and Naruto is special, even by shinobi standards….there are others like him, and they are all being hunted. Jiraiya-dono is in charge of a spy network that is keeping track of this group and their preparations. We are looking at about three years to prepare him to defend his life." He said as he studied Sano's reaction to the information. " As for Hinata-dono, she has…..special talents that are unique to her clan and their taijutsu style is designed to maximize that talent in battle. She has been told not to use her special ability for the same reason that Naruto is not allowed to use his special abilities. Their talents are not something that can be easily explained away, that it can not."

Sano looked at him as he took in this new bit of information. "They're both ninja huh? Well if they can't use this talent of theirs, how will they defend themselves then? They haven't even started working with missy have they?" Sano asked.

"No they have not... taijutsu itself is not the issue, it's the other abilities they have. Although, I suppose that it may not be avoidable for Hinata-dono as it has to do with those unique eyes of hers…and we cannot hide those…." Kenshin said, sounding lost in thought. "Aa, forgive me. I have never trained anyone before and I am a bit lost as to how to do this correctly." He said a bit embarrassed. He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his head as he came back around to the conversation. "Your help would be appreciated. It seems that I have not thought things out as well as I thought. I put too much though in keeping their abilities hidden and not enough into how they will protect themselves if we find ourselves in the middle of a confrontation. I do need to gage their level of ability and I suppose that it would be better if they were to spar against someone I am already familiar with so that I may concentrate more on them, that it would."

"Great! When do we start then?" Sano asked, his enthusiasm returning. He had known Kenshin long enough to know that he was secretive about his past. Mostly, he assumed, was because it was painful and he felt ashamed of things that had happened. He also knew that Kenshin was the type of person who would keep someone's secret if he felt their life depended upon it so the fact that he told him as much as he did showed that the danger to Naruto and possibly Hinata was very real and the he trusted him enough to at least help a little.

"Well, I suppose a quick sparring session tonight would be ok." Kenshin said thoughtfully as he looked out the open shoji towards the dojo. He could faintly hear the chatter of his friends voices outside as they enjoyed the early evening air. "Have Yahiko walk Megumi and Dr. Gensai home tonight. He needs time to adjust to everything and a good walk should help him clear his head a bit. For now we will keep this from him, and Sano…" He said gaining the fighters attention as he had started to move towards the shoji. "Please keep this information between us if you could. I trust Megumi and Dr. Gensai well enough but…"

"Don't worry about it." Sano said, giving Kenshin a smile. "It's not my information to give out. He is your nephew and I trust you will tell them when and if they need to know." He said as he turned and left the kitchen.

A half hour later found Kenshin in the dojo lighting the oil lanterns. Megumi, Dr. Gensai and his granddaughters had just left a few minutes prior with Yahiko in tow. Yahiko had also made plans to help Tae, who had left right after dinner to get back to the Akabeko, clean up the restaurant for the night so he wouldn't be back for a couple of hours.

Naruto had been excited about the prospect of a good spar and could be heard chatting excitedly to Kaoru and Sano outside. Hinata had snuck off. Kenshin suspected she was nervous about fighting in a kimono as it's not something a kunoichi normally fights in let alone trains in. He was proven right a few minutes later. Sano, Naruto and Kaoru, having moved into the dojo, were standing around and talking at one end when Hinata shyly poked her head in. She was dressed in a black short sleeve shirt with the standard shinobi mesh shirt under it and black pants.

"U-um Kenshin-sensei….is it ok if I wear this for training?" She asked nervously, not sure if she would be in trouble for the training gear she had brought with her.

Kenshin looked over at her and gave her a small smile. "It is ok for now Hinata-dono." He said, turning to the rest of the group gathered at the end of the dojo he continues. "Kaoru-dono will be getting the two of you the dojo's training clothes out of storage tomorrow, so you both will have something to wear for training purposes. Sano, why don't you start with Naruto. Kaoru-dono, why don't you and Hinata-dono sit over by the wall." He said indicating the side entrance as he moved around and closed each of the heavy, specially made, wooden amado doors that the dojo was equipped with. Once they were closed and he felt confident that no one would be spying on them he motioned for Naruto and Sano to move to the center of the dojo.

Sano took his position towards one end, rolling his shoulders a bit. An excited smirk on his face. "Alright kid, don't hold back on me ok?"

Naruto returned the excited smirk, knuckles cracking a bit. "Pssh, as if!"

"Alright, Naruto this is taijutsu only, got it?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah yeah, I know." He said, sounding a bit disappointed for reasons Sano was unsure of.

"This is for practice and for me to see how you fight Naruto, remember that please. The match is over when one of you is knocked down, that it is." He said as he moved off to the side himself. "Ready?" Raising his hand he waited a moment before dropping it with a shout. "Go!" He said as he quickly dropped his hand.

Sano and Naruto both charged forward. Naruto aimed a punch for Sano's stomach which he caught with a laugh. "Come on kid, you gotta do better than that!"

Naruto growled as he jumped back and dodged a swing from Sano. "I could say the samething for you!" He taunted as he threw another punch and followed with a kick which connected with Sano's thigh.

"Hey, not bad. That might have hurt if you weren't such a runt!" Sano teased, enjoying himself.

"Didn't hurt huh? How about this!" He asked as he turned and launched himself at the tall man once again.

Kenshin watched intently as they continued this way for another couple of minutes. It seemed that Naruto's fighting style was similar to Sano's. He was a brawler, quick and agile as most shinobi were, he had the potential for some real power. His stances though were a bit sloppy, and he had trouble with keeping his center of gravity stable, which is what would give him the most fighting power and keep him balanced. This was evident when the fight ended as he over stepped a move and instead of being able to rebound from it, he slipped and lost his balance which allowed Sano to land a hit to his shoulder which sent him flat on his back.

"Not bad kid, not bad at all!" Sano said as he offered a hand to Naruto, helping him to his feet.

Naruto was a bit miffed at the loss but smiled anyway at the praise. "Yeah, not bad yourself!" He said as he moved over to sit with Kaoru. "Your turn Hinata! Give him hell!" He said as he gave her a thumbs up as she went to take her spot across the dojo from Sano.

She stood there nervously waiting for the signal to begin.

"Now Hinata-dono, we are going to do your spar a bit differently." Kenshin said as he addressed her. "I have made Sano aware that your fighting style relies on your special ability with your eyes. Sano had made a good point in the fact that if you need your ability to fight correctly then you should be able to use it. So if you need to, you may go ahead." He said as he watched intently.

Naruto could be heard off to the side sniggering, "He's toast!" He said as Kaoru tried shushing him.

Hinata blushed a bit at his comment while Sano just grinned. "Alright little missy, get ready!" He said, excited to see if she was going to be as promising as Naruto.

"Alright." She replied quietly. She raised her right hand to her face forming the earth release seal. "Byakugan!" She said. Large veins formed around her eyes while the eyes themselves took on an iridescent quality, almost like a cats.

The sight of her eyes sent a shiver down Sano's spine. He couldn't help but feel like the shy girl he had met earlier today had just become a dangerous opponent, her eyes were down right scary. In that moment he started to understand why Kenshin was being the way he was about these two. If they both had abilities like this, they would be hard pressed to hide them.

Kenshin took in the change in her eyes and watched, a bit surprised, as she started to slid into her opening taijutsu stance.

Hinata angled her body by sliding her right foot back and placed her right hand, palm facing forward by her right side as she raised her left hand in front of her with her palm facing Sano. She then adjusted her center of gravity and lowered her body stance downwards slightly.

' _This is almost an exact mirror image to my battojutsu stance for the Soryusen._ ' Kenshin thought in amazement.

"Hey Kenshin! What is this?! I thought you said you haven't taught them anything!" Sano said, surprised by how the girl was standing.

"I haven't." He replied as he studied Hinata closely. "Is this the opening stance for the Gentle Fist?" He asked.

"Yes sensei, it is one of them." Hinata replied, keeping her eyes on Sano. She could tell he had no shinobi heritage as his chakra network was dark. All she could see was the gentle glow of a living being. She noted that Kenshin's chakra network was bright and active, but a bit under developed. Most likely from his training as a Samurai and lack of ninjitsu training. If she were asked to compare Kenshin to Naruto she would have said it was like comparing the full moon to the noontime sun. One glowed softly, offering to illuminate your way in the dark while the other was blindingly warm and chased the darkness away completely.

"What's wrong Sano? You chicken?" Naruto teased from the side of the dojo. Kaoru was a bit interested herself at the similarities between Hinata's stance and Kenshin's battojutsu stance were clearly evident.

"No! Just surprised, that's all!" He said as he prepared himself.

"Alright you two. The fight ends the same way. Ready?" Kenshin said as he raised his hand. He held it there for a moment as he looked quickly between the two. "Go!" He said with a quick swish of his hand.

They both moved forward quickly. Sano went to try and land a hit but Hinata dodged, ducking underneath the tall man's arm. Snapping her right hand forward she slapped at his stomach.

Sano was a bit surprised as how easily she dodged him, but wasn't very impressed by the light slap. "Come on now, was that supposed to hurt? You couldn't kill a bug with a hit like that let alone take down an enemy." He taunted.

"Y-you're not my enemy." Hinata replied simply as she gracefully spun to face Sano once more.

"Pretend that I am then." Sano said. "Give me all you got!" He turned to face her once again and they squared off for a moment.

"S-sensei?" She asked hesitantly.

"It's alright Hinata, Sano can take it, that he can." Kenshin replied to her unspoken question.

Hinata nodded slightly as she charged forward again. Agilely dodging another swing and a kick to land two, carefully placed, chakra laced strikes, one to his arm and one to his side.

At first Sano didn't feel any difference between those two hits and the hit to the stomach moments before. But seconds later the difference was noticeable. His arm started to tingle and his side burned. "Well that's more like it." He said as he shook out his arm, trying to rid himself of the tingling sensation as he charged forward again.

Kenshin watched as Hinata was able to land a fair number of blows and dodged a good number of Sano's swings. There were a couple of time Kenshin even thought he might get her, but she was able to recover. Her moves were graceful and well practiced. Her balance was good and she was quick and agile but was starting to tire after several minutes. With a little more power and better endurance she would be a formidable opponent indeed. It made him wonder how her clan could consider her weak. He himself would have been more than proud to have a daughter as talented as her.

Sano grinned to himself, he was impressed. He was glad to see that she had some fire in her after all. Naruto's faith was well placed, Yahiko wouldn't know what hit him if she were to get serious!

Hinata slid back and adjusted her stance. She could hear Naruto cheering her on, but she was getting tired, and if she wanted to win this spar she knew she would have to use one of her best moves. Infact she was only able to do the very basic form of the move, and even then it took a lot out of her. With one arm forward and one back she crouched down a bit and waited for Sano to come in range. She could do this! Bolting forward at the last second she called out the name of the technic. "Eight Trigrams Thirty Two Palms!" Her hands flew forward, two strikes, four strikes, eight strikes, sixteen strikes, thirty two strikes. As she finished she hopped away to watch as Sano stumbled back and fell over, landing on his back.

Sano laid on the floor and laughed. "That little missy, was a good match." He said. He was beyond impressed at this point. His body burned, his legs and arms were tingling so much so that he couldn't even get up at the moment.

"That was awesome Hinata!" Naruto shouted as he ran over to steady her as she stumbled a bit herself, having used more energy that she had planned on.

"That was amazing!" Kaoru said as she moved to join the two. "I've never seen anyone fight like that before!"

Kenshin himself gave her a pleased smile. "You did exceptionally well Hinata-dono, that you did." He said.

"Th-thank you." She replied quietly, blushing from all the praise and the close contact to Naruto, who still had his arm wrapped around her back.

"Kenshin, where on earth did you find these kids?" Sano asked as he grinned up at the ceiling.

"That Sano, I cannot tell you." Kenshin replied.

* * *

A shadowy figure of a man could be seen crouching outside the shoji. "Gasuke-san, he has returned."

The hard looking former yakuza sipped his sake. ' _Good._ ' He thought. "Was he alone?" He asked his spy.

"He arrived with his woman and two children in tow. A runty looking blonde boy and a dark haired girl with strange pale eyes. I was unable to catch any names, but l did learn later on that the boy is supposedly his nephew."

' _A nephew huh….no he will be guarding him too closely…..the girl maybe…..yes the girl_.' He thought. "I want you to get your hands on the girl. Use a tranquilizer to keep her from raising an alarm, but whatever you do, make sure she is alive when you bring her back here, and leave this message." He said as he placed a folded letter near the shoji as it slid open slightly and a hand reached in.

' _Soon Battousai, you will pay for the humiliation that you have brought upon me.'_

AN: Ahh, there we go, a little bit of action and the promise of more to come. Hope you enjoyed it! XD


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Hello everyone, What a way to defeat the monday blah's! I hope you all will enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 7

The next morning after breakfast Kaoru gave them their training clothes, which consisted of a loose fitting cream colored kimono top and blue hakama. They had then been instructed to go change and meet in the dojo for their first lesson. Kaoru and Kenshin had decided that the best way to train them for the time being would be for them to work with Kaoru and Yahiko in the mornings and then, while Kaoru was teaching her other students outside the dojo in the afternoons, they would help with chores. The evenings would be spent either in the dojo working on taijutsu or training in the nearby woods. Kenshin knew that if they didn't practice their jutsu's periodically they would not continue to improve upon them, and with them being shinobi, their ability with jutsu was important.

Once they were gathered in the dojo, Kaoru gave them a quick look over. Both young shinobi were in the training clothes she had given them, but she noticed that Hinata had placed her black shirt underneath the loose fitting top. She then proceeded to show them the correct way to hold their bokken and the stance for the first kata. She watched them carefully, making sure that they were performing the swinging motion of the opening move correctly and making adjustments to their stances as needed. She was quite impressed with how they took to it. While it was quite obvious that neither had held a sword before, they were picking up the basic concept easily. Deciding that they could move on to the next part of the kata, she decided to have Yahiko, who was working on his own set of kata's down at the other end of the dojo, help. She was well aware of the friction between Naruto and Yahiko from the night before. She knew it was just Yahiko being jealous and he seemed to have calmed down this morning, but decided not to push it too far. The boys had the garden to clean that afternoon so she thought it might be good for Yahiko to work with Hinata on the next step of the kata. She also hoped that Hinata's calm demeanor and how she was picking up the steps to the kata so easily would help Yahiko relax and accept her as a fellow student.

When asked, Yahiko had grudgingly did as Kaoru asked and stood next to Hinata to show her the next step to the kata, which was a pair of blocks and a slash.

"Watch carefully ok, I don't want to have to show you twice." He said, his annoyance at working with her was evident, but he didn't want to disappoint Kenshin again. Holding the bokken in the start position he swung it up and forward as he took a step, then tilted it in front of his face to the right as he took another step forward, then tilted it to the left as he stepped back and then slashed from his upper left and ending on his lower right as he took the final step back into the starting position.

"You got it?" He asked.

"Y-yes." Hinata said. She had watched him closely as he performed the kata. It was simple enough so she was not too worried about performing it. She moved herself into the starting position and began the simple kata, her mind focused. She couldn't help but picture herself in battle. It was how she was trained to think when using weapons. Precision and accuracy were important when fighting for your life after all. As she stepped back into the final step of the kata, she swung her bokken down into a strong slash. Her bokken letting off a loud whoosh as it cut through the air.

Yahiko instinctively took a step back as his respect for the shy girl started to form. "Uhh, yeah, you got it." He said, feeling a bit nervous. ' _Man, if that had hit me that would have hurt!'_ He thought to himself.

They practiced the kata for several more minutes while Kaoru watched intently. She was pleased with their progress on the first day as she wrapped up the training session so they could clean the dojo and then go eat lunch.

After lunch Kenshin went with the boys to the garden while he left Hinata to clean up. He figured that they would need supervision and he wanted to see what plants had survived the neglect of the past month. He was pleased to see that two of the three Kabocha squash plants were doing well. They even had some young squash on their vines. The Kyuri plants hadn't done so well with no one training the vines up the poles, although there were a few fruits on their vines. The leeks were overgrown and had to be pulled and most of the daikons had been eaten by rabbits by the looks of them. Once the salvageable plants had been taken care of, Kenshin had the boys pull out the dieing plants and weeds. He was a bit surprised at the lack of arguing between the two. Not to say the work went along quietly. There was quite a bit of whining from both boys, but they didn't argue, although he did catch them giving each other dirty looks on occasion and growling to themselves about stupid chores and the like. By the time they were done the garden had doubled in size being a good eight meters long and four meters wide. (26.25ft x 13.12ft).

As the boys washed up a bit by the well, Hinata appeared coming out of the kitchen. She was carrying a tray with three cups of tea and a plate with some onigiri on it. "K-Kenshin-sensei, I made a snack for the three of you." She called softly as she placed the tray on the edge of the engawa.

"Thank you Hinata-dono, that was very kind of you." Kenshin said as he walked over and sat on the edge of the engawa. "What do you say boys?" He said as Naruto and Yahiko approached.

"Thanks!"

"Thank you!"

Naruto dug right in. He had gotten to taste some of Hinata's cooking on the trip here. Granted it wasn't anything fancy as they had been camping, but it had been good and the onigiri were no exception. "These are awesome Hinata!" He said happily as he munched on his snack.

Yahiko was pleasantly surprised himself at how tasty they were. "These are good! They are a lot better than Kaoru's!" He said.

"Now you shouldn't put down Kaoru-dono's cooking. She tries really hard to make good food for us, that she does." Kenshin said, although he did agree that these were very tasty.

"You mean kill us, I swear her cooking is the worst!" Yahiko exclaimed.

"Is Kaoru-sensei's cooking really that bad?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yes!" Yahiko replied.

"Sadly, Kaoru-dono is not as skilled in the kitchen as she is with her bokken, that she is not." Kenshin said. "But she doesn't give up. I hope one day she will figure it out and have another skill to be proud of."

Yahiko sniggered. "Only because you don't want to spend the rest of your life cooking!" He said teasingly.

"Now Yahiko, I don't mind cooking, or doing chores for that matter. It helps Kaoru-dono out that it does." He replied.

"Eh, you can keep the woman's work!" Yahiko replied. "I'm going to go train some more!" He said as he finished his snack and headed off to the dojo.

Naruto gave a snort of annoyance as he walked off, clearly not impressed by Yahiko in the least.

"Naruto, I need you to come with me for a bit. I have a task given to me by Jiraiya-dono that I need your help with." Kenshin said as he rose from the edge of engawa.

Naruto perked up at this. "Really? What is it?" He asked excitedly.

"It's a special seal he gave me. He said that we need to place it using your chakra in a spot under water that is well hidden. I was thinking of a spot down by the river near where the road turns. You can see the dojo gate once you get onto the road, but the river bank itself is hidden by bushes and a couple of trees and would be a good spot for it, that it would. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me!" Naruto replied excitedly.

"We will be back in a little while Hinata-dono. This should not take long at all. Kaoru-dono should be home soon as well. Sano went to meet her at her last stop so he will be back as well." Kenshin said as he moved off, following Naruto towards the gate.

Hinata, having finished cleaning up the cups and plate, walked quietly to her room. Once inside she opened the trunk and pulled out one of her training scrolls. Settling herself into a comfortable position she opened the scroll and started to read, carefully going over each of the intricate combinations in her mind for later practice. The quiet sound of her shoji opening had her looking up, as she turned to see who it was, she felt a pain in her shoulder and slumped forward.

' _That was too easy._ ' The masked man thought to himself as he slid the shoji open further. Gathering up the girl he left the letter on top of the open scroll and disappeared out the shoji.

* * *

Crouching on the bank, the warm late afternoon sun shining on his back, Kenshin peered down into the river. "Naruto, what about there?" Kenshin asked as he leaned over the side of the bank, pointing to the smooth side of a large rock. They had tried three other spots, but the seal had not taken to any of them.

Naruto waded over and looked at it. He carefully felt the the side of the rock to see if it was large enough for the seal. "Well, it feels like it should be big enough. Let's try it!" He said excitedly. Taking the seal in his right hand, he channeled some chakra into in and reached under the water, pressing firmly against the rock. After a second there was pulse of light as the seal transferred itself to the rock. "Hey it worked!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he hopped out of the water and onto the bank.

"Well, that took longer than expected. Let's head back and I will start dinner." Kenshin said as he stood up and moved back through the bushes to the road. As they walked back to the dojo they spied Sano and Kaoru walking towards them from the other direction.

"Hello there, how are your students fairing Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked both groups approached the compound gate.

"They are doing alright. Their parents weren't too happy that I disappeared for a month though. I had to offer a couple of them a free session just to keep them." She replied, looking a bit upset. "So what were the two of you up to?"

"Oh, we had this se…."

"We had a task to perform for Jiraiya-dono. It needed to get done before he arrives and I thought that it would be best to get it done today, that I did." He said cutting off Naruto who scowled darkly at him in return. "Well, let's go in so I can start supper. Naruto, why don't you go work on those exercises that Jiraiya-dono gave you?" Kenshin said over his shoulder as he entered the main gate.

Naruto sighed heavily at the request. "Yeah…. alright." He replied as he entered behind him.

No one notice the shadowy figure hidden among the Nearby stand of trees, nor the small figure hanging limply in his grasp.

* * *

About an hour later just as Kenshin was finishing dinner preparations Naruto poked his head into the room.

"Getting hungry are we?" Kenshin teased, having caught sight of his nephew out of the corner of his eye.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and gave him a sheepish smile. "Heh, yeah a bit." He replied causing Kenshin to chuckle.

"Well dinner will be done shortly. I am just waiting for Sano to finish cooking the fish. Why don't you go get Kaoru-dono and Yahiko from the dojo and tell them to get cleaned up, and when your done, go get Hinata-dono. I think she might be in her room." He said as Naruto bolted out of the room and took off for the dojo.

A few minutes later as Sano entered the kitchen with a tray of grilled fish, Kenshin could hear Kaoru and Yahiko arguing about something as they crossed the courtyard, moving towards the house.

Naruto jogged across the courtyard, Kaoru and Yahiko arguing behind him as they left the dojo. He quickly tossed aside his sandals as he hopped up onto the engawa and walked down towards Hinata's room. ' _It's the one on the end...right?_ ' He thought to himself as he approached the end room. He reached for the shoji to open it but paused. ' _I should probably knock first huh?'_ He thought. He gave the frame a light knock with his fist before calling out.

"Uh, hey Hinata, dinner's almost ready." He stood there for a moment a frown forming when he received no reply. "Hinata?" He called out again as he reached for the shoji.

' _Maybe she fell asleep?_ ' He wondered. He slowly slid the shoji back and stuck his head in, his frown growing when he found the room empty. ' _Where could she be?_ ' He thought as he pulled his head out of her room and scanned the yard. The bath house behind him was quiet and the fire unlit. The only people in the yard were Kaoru and Yahiko who were up by the well at the other end of the yard. Turning, he surveyed her room again. The lid to the small trunk was open and a scroll lay open on the floor. He then noticed something laying on top of the scroll. ' _What is that?_ ' He wondered as he slid into her room and walked over to it. The item laying on the scroll appeared to be some sort of letter and it was addressed to someone. ' _Battousai'_ he read. ' _Who is this Battousai person?'_ He thought as he opened the letter and scanned it quickly. His eyes got large and he paled as he read the letter. ' _SHIT!'_ Was the only though he had as he tore out of her room, running full tilt down the engawa letter in hand.

Kenshin looked up startled as Naruto tore down the engawa. "JI-SAN!" He yelled, his feet skidding on the polished wood as he turned into the room.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

"Hey there kid slow down, are you alright?" Sano asked.

"It's Hinata, she's not in her room…." Naruto said, panting a little.

"Well maybe she went to the bathroom or something, sheesh kid, don't give us a heart attack like that, ok?" Sano replied.

"NO! There was this letter…" He said as he handed the letter over to his uncle. "It's addressed to someone name Battousai…..they say they have her…."

Kenshin paled as he read the letter himself. "The old shrine in the northern woods at midnight." He said softly to himself.

"What's going on?! Naruto are you ok?!" Kaoru asked as she burst into the room, concerned after hearing Naruto's shout.

"Someone kidnapped little missy." Sano replied, anger laced his voice.

"WHAT!" Exclaimed Kaoru as she looked from Sano to Kenshin and back.

"It's true. They wish to make an exchange for her life." Kenshin replied, his voice serious and laced with his growing anger.

"I want to know what is going on! Who is this Battousai person and why would they kidnap HInata to get to him?!" Naruto growled out, his own anger rising.

Kenshin sighed as he refolded the letter. "I am sorry Naruto, that I am." He said as he turned to him. "The Battousai person that they are looking for is who I was know as during the Bakumatsu revolution. They are using Hinata-dono to get to me."

Naruto let out a low, dangerous growl. "It would have been nice to have know that! Now Hinata is in danger and doesn't even know why!" He moved angrily through the room. "We are in the south-eastern part of Tokyo right?" He asked as he headed through the kitchen and into the main room of the house. "And these northern woods are to the north of Tokyo?"

"Well, yes. Why?" Kaoru replied confused as to why he wanted to know.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kenshin called after him as he reached the far side of the living room.

"Getting Hinata back!" He yelled over his shoulder as he slid open the fusuma paneling.

"And how do you plan on doing that?! Don't you remember what we discussed?! You can't just go around and do as you please! You don't know enough kenjutsu yet to even stand a chance and I doubt that taijutsu alone will be enough!" Kenshin replied, his voice stern. "You should stay here with Kaoru-dono and Yahiko, that you should. Me and Sano can take care of them and get her back!"

"Like hell I will!" Naruto yelled back. "I'm the one that is supposed to protect her and I _will_ do just that, ya'know! And as far as those stupid _rules_ you told me about go, they can go straight to HELL! I will do whatever it takes to get her back safely! I don't care if I am feared or hated for what I can do, I've already dealt with it my whole life, so what does it matter anyway!" With that said he stepped through the doorway and disappeared down the inner hallway of the house. He ignored the sound of voices behind him as he quickly reached his room and slid the paneling open with a loud thump. Stepping over to his own small trunk, he opened it and grabbed out his leg pouch and strapped that on his right leg, then he grabbed his larger kunai pouch and attached that to the back of his hakama. He eyed his bokken that was leaning against the wall and decided to take that too and slid that into ties of his hakima like he saw his uncle do with his sword. As he was adjusting the bokken to make sure it wasn't in the way of his kunai pouch he saw Kenshin appear in the doorway.

"Naruto I…."

"Save it. You're not changing my mind." Naruto said cutting him off, his voice angry. His hard blue eyes flashed. "She is depending on me and I refuse to abandon her."

Kenshin studied him for a moment. His face was set with his determination, he also could sense his agitation boiling away just under the surface. "I know. I... wanted to apologize. I was being selfish by asking you to stay here." He said, his voice serious but sincere. "I didn't mean to disrespect you, nor your skills as a warrior. I know perfectly well that you can defend yourself. I was just afraid...I don't want to lose what family I have left, that I do not. But you are right. She is your betrothed and yours to protect. I would never wish for you to abandon her and I will respect your decision to rescue her and would like to help….if you will let me."

Naruto eyed him warily for a moment before nodding his consent. Reaching over he closed the trunk and moved passed his uncle, walking back up the hall to the living room area, determination evident in every step. As he stepped into the living room, Yahiko entered through the shoji. At the sight of him, Naruto's temper sparked again.

"You!" He growled angrily as he stepped over to him and grabbed him roughly by the front of his kimono, pulling him forward so they were nose to nose.

"Hey what are you doing?!" Yahiko asked as he was grabbed.

"Hey wait a minute!" Kaoru said as she moved to stop Naruto, but was stopped by Kenshin as he appeared out of the hallway.

"Leave them alone. I will intervene if I need too." He said as he kept a close eye on Naruto.

"You peace of scum!" He growled out, his anger growing at a rapid pace. "Forget that, you give scum a bad name! Don't you know those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum! SO WHY?! WHAT DID SHE DO TO YOU HUH?!" He yelled, his voice rising.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Yahiko yelled back confused, his own temper rising.

"HINATA! SHE WAS KIDNAPPED! YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE HERE WITH HER! WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP HER OR COME AND GET ME OR KENSHIN-JISAN!" He yelled back.

"K-kidnapped...WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Yahiko asked, confused.

"Hinata-dono was kidnapped while we were out. One of my enemy's snuck into the house and took her and left this note." Kenshin said as he held up the letter. "Do you know anything?" He asked, his voice deceptively calm.

"NO! I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING, I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS KIDNAPPED I SWEAR!" Yahiko exclaimed, both shocked and upset himself.

"You better be telling the truth." Naruto growled in his face, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Because if I find out otherwise _you will regret it_." He said as he shoved Yahiko roughly away.

"Really, I swear, I give you my word as a samurai of Tokyo!" Yahiko said. "I wouldn't let anything happen to a girl without trying to help!"

"Alright, we need to leave, that we do." Kenshin said as he moved to the open shoji. "The safest way to get to the North Woods at night is by detouring around Mount Ueno." Turning his head slightly he looked back over his shoulder. "Are you going to come help us Yahiko?" He asked.

"Of course!" he replied.

"Good." Naruto said as he reached into his pouch and took out his hitai-ate. He tied it firmly to his forehead as he moved forward. "We need all the help we can get." As he stepped out onto the engawa he turned to Kenshin. "I have a plan."

* * *

Hinata felt drowsy. ' _Did I…. fall asleep?_ ' She thought as she went to stretch. Her head cleared quickly as she realised that her hands and feet were bound. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a dark, dank room. The smell of rotting wood was heavy in the air.

"So you're finally awake then?" Asked a strange male voice.

She tried to talk, but found herself to be gagged as well which caused the strange man to laugh.

"Oh don't worry, once the Battousai comes to rescue you we will make quick work of him and then you'll be on your way!" He said, laughing like this was all some kind of joke.

She furrowed her brows and narrowed her eyes at the shadowy form of the man, which seemed to make him laugh even more. As she tried to push herself up using her elbow a wave of dizziness hit her, causing her to fall back onto the floor. ' _I...I was drugged._ ' She thought.

"Now don't be getting any ideas in that little head of yours." He said, his voice amused. "You won't be going anywhere without my say so."

She carefully rolled onto her stomach, turning her face away from the shadowy form of the man to scan the darkness behind her. She took in her surroundings as best she could in the limited amount of moonlight that was filtering in from the crack in the entryway and the small holes in the ceiling and wall. ' _It looks like I am in some sort of abandoned building….a small home or temple maybe._ ' She thought. The sound of footsteps outside caught her attention. They were fairly quiet, indicating that the structure was not surrounded by an engawa, but they were not the footsteps of a shinobi. You wouldn't hear a trained shinobi approach unless they wanted you to hear them.

"He's coming and he is alone. He's on the old shrine path now and should be here in a couple of minutes." Said a second male voice from just outside the entryway.

"Good. Your men are well hidden correct?" The shadowy man asked as he stepped over to Hinata and sliced the rope binding her feet with his sword.

"Of course."

"When the he arrives, I will welcome him and have your men come out and surround him when I give the signal." He replied, pleased.

"Yes sir." Said the other man as he left. His footsteps retreating quickly away from the building.

* * *

Kenshin walked along the overgrown path. His footsteps quick and determined, his thoughts on the coming confrontation. What had him worried at the moment was the fact he had no idea who they were going up against. Usually he knew, or at least had a good idea about who he was going to be facing. His thoughts turned to his friends, who were traveling unseen through the woods flanking him. Yahiko and Kaoru off to his right and Naruto and Sano off to his left. It was an unusual move for the group as they always face danger head on together when they fought, but the note had said to come alone. The risk to Hinata was not something any of them were willing to take lightly so it had been decided that he would travel the path alone, making the enemy believe that he had followed his request. That would give them the element of surprise and hopefully allow them to get Hinata out safely.

He could see the old abandoned shrine through the trees ahead. The moonlight illuminating the building and it's clearing in an eerie glow. His hard eyes scanned the clearing as he emerged from the woods. "Come out!" He barked, his voice dangerous.

The old wooden door to the shrine slid open slowly allowing a tall, brown haired man to emerge. The small figure of Hinata could be seen lying on the floor just inside the entryway.

"Ah, so you are here! Welcome!" The brown haired figure said arrogantly. "Are you prepared to die?"

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "I don't know who you are, or who you work for but you will pay. Now LET HER GO!"

"Oh really? You don't remember me?" The man growled angrily. He turned quickly and pulled Hinata up to her feet. He turned back and moved into the yard, dragging the smaller girl roughly along side him, drawn sword held tightly. "Maybe I should refresh your memory! That boy you wanted so badly last year, that piece of trash Yahiko, you stole him from Tanishi-sama! Then you disgraced me in front of him! Then to find out that you're the legendary Hitokiri Battousai on top of it all! I will bring your head to Tanishi-sama on a platter and regain my position as the head of his yakuza! As for the girl, don't worry about her, she will make a fine addition to one of Tanishi-sama's brothels!" He exclaimed as he raised sword and gave a slight flick of his wrist. Two dozen men, swords drawn, appeared from behind the shrine and moved to surround Kenshin as he slowly unsheathed his sword and held it in front of himself in a ready position.

X

"What is Kenshin _doing_?!" Yahiko growled from the bushes where he and Kaoru were waiting for their signal. "Why is he holding his sword like that!"

"Yahiko quiet down before you give us away!" Kaoru whispered loudly, giving him a smack upside the head.

X

Sano was having the same thought from where he and Naruto were hiding. "Hey kid, about this plan of yours that you talked to him about, what exactly haven't you told me about?" He asked as he looked over at the blonde boy next to him.

Naruto grinned. "Heh, you'll see!" He said as he turned his attention back to the shrine clearing

X

The hired swordsmen stood, swords drawn, acting like an impenetrable wall around him, preventing retreat. Gasuke stood before him, Hinata held roughly at his side. He watched as one of the swordsmen closest the Gasuke moved over to him and he released her to his custody. "You were foolish to come alone and you are going to pay for that foolishness!" Gasuke said, raising his sword at Kenshin.

Kenshin smirked. "Who said I came alone?" He replied, giving a small wave of one hand. Out of the bushes from about ten meters to either side of the trail appeared Kaoru with Yahiko, bokken in hand and Sano with Naruto. "Now, don't make me repeat myself again. Let...Her...GO!"

"Like hell I will!" Gasuke roared as he charged forward, bringing his sword up to slash at the red haired man. "Now it's time for you to die!" He yelled as he brought his blade down. Kenshin went to block but was unable to block the full swing, the sword catching him in the arm. The clearing stood in shocked silence as Kenshin disappeared in a poof of smoke.

After a long moment the quiet was suddenly broken. "It would help if you were actually fighting me, that it would." Came a cool voice from above causing Gasuke's head to snap up as he looked onto the roof of the shrine. Kenshin stood there, his expression unreadable to those below him. His right hand resting lightly on the shoulder of the blonde boy next to him. "Now, we would appreciate it if you would hand Hinata-dono over. She does not belong to you, that she does not."

X

"How the hell?!" Sano exclaimed just as confused as Gasuke as he turned to the Naruto standing next to him. "How are you up there and down here?! And what was with that smoke?!"

'Naruto' laughed slightly. "Heh, you'll just have to ask the boss!" He replied grinning mischievously up at Sano.

X

Hinata took in the area around her. There were very few swordsman in this part of the clearing and the swordsman that had her was not paying attention, they were all focused on the shrine. Unfortunately she knew she could not slip out of his grasp with her hands tied like they were. She could still feel the kunai that was attached to the small holster up her sleeve. Apparently they hadn't thought to check her for weapons, which was a foolish mistake on their part. She sent a small surge of chakra through the holster to release the kunai into her hand and began to carefully cut the rope around her wrists.

X

Gasuke stared, his anger growing. "How, how did you do that?!" He asked.

"Aa, well that is a secret, one that I will not tell you. Now, give Hinata-dono back to us and we will take it easy on you, that we will." Kenshin replied in the same cool tone.

"Give her back you bastard or I'll make you pay!" Naruto shouted down at them his own anger boiling away what patients he had left.

"And what is a boy like you going to do to a bunch of skilled swordsmen?" Gasuke taunted. "A child like you shouldn't get into a man's fight! Now face me like a man Battousai!" He growled.

"Fine, but which one of us do you want to face first?" Kenshin asked casually.

"What do you mean?! Face me damn it!" He shouted back.

"I mean exactly that. Which one of us do you wish to face first? I will gladly chose for you if you like, that I will." Kenshin said as he withdrew his hand from Naruto's shoulder and placed it on the hilt of his sword. As he did so there was movement in the treetops as another dozen 'Kenshin's' appeared surrounding the group of swordsmen. "Now, I am sure that I can easily take out all your men in less than a minute and you….you will not stand a chance against my nephew. You see, Hinata-dono is his to protect. You will regret taking her from him, that you will." He said as he slowly drew his sword, all the other 'Kenshin's' mimicking his movement causing Gasuke's hired swordsmen to panic and try to run.

X

Hinata used the confusion to her advantage as she cut the last of the rope binding her wrists and gave the swordsman who was roughly shoving her around a chakra laced smack to the chest causing him to gasp for breath and stagger away from her. Using her new freedom she managed to dodge the fighting and get part way across the clearing where one of the Kenshin's scooped her up and brought her over the Yahiko and Kaoru.

X

Gasuke looked around him at the men trying to flee and being stopped by the multitude of 'Kenshin's' and his friends. "Stand your ground you cowards!" He yelled.

"You're the coward!" Naruto yelled from above him, catching his attention.

"W-what the hell!" Gasuke exclaimed. Above him Kenshin still stood with his sword drawn and was calmly watching the battle below, but that was not what he was concerned about. Where there had only been one blonde boy before now there were two and there was a glowing blue object forming in one of their hands.

"How dare you call them cowards when you aren't man enough to fight your own battles yourself!" Naruto yelled, a glowing blue orb growing steadily in size in his hand. As the hired swordsmen were finally finished off all eye's turned to stare as Naruto gave an angry yell and launched himself at Gasuke. The swordsman tried to slash at Naruto, but was not able to land a hit as the blonde quickly dodged. "Rasengan!" He yelled as the attack landed.

Gasuke gave a strangled scream as the Rasengan tore into him and sent him flying through the clearing and into the tree line where he landed hard against a tree, his severely injured and unconscious form slumping down to the ground.

"Well, that is finally over, that it is." Kenshin said as he dropped to the ground just behind Naruto and sheathed his sword as the others came running over with the exception of Hinata, who was moving at a slower pace.

"Alright, now you got some explaining to do! We don't kill people, I told you that!" Kaoru said as she marched up to them. "And you Kenshin, why would you condone that from your own nephew?!"

"Well, you see…" Kenshin began as he placed his hands up protectively in front of himself. "...he shouldn't be dead. So it should be alright, that it should!"

"What?" Kaoru asked surprised as she looked in the direction that Gasuke had landed. "He's not?"

"N-no. He's alive." Hinata said as she reached Kaoru's side, her Byakugan active.

"Whoa, what's with the eyes?!" Yahiko exclaimed as he backed away from her.

"T-they're a trait of my clan." She said as she quickly deactivated them.

"Alright I want to know what is going on! Where did all these guys come from and how can you be in two places at once Naruto?" Sano asked as he looked between the two Naruto's and the other remaining Kenshin's. "I-is it some kind of magic or something?" He asked as his voice became a bit wary.

"Heh….well they're all me." Naruto said as he grinned and rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "It's….a special technic that I can use… so yeah." As he talked the remaining couple of 'Kenshin's' and remaining 'Naruto' released themselves in poofs of smoke and he looked at Kenshin from the corner of his eye, not sure how much he should say and how to explain it.

Kenshin sighed. "I suppose I should explain things a bit as keeping everything a secret is no longer possible." He said as he looked at Naruto and Hinata, who were standing next to each other. "There are things that I cannot divulge now, or may never be able to divulge, but as I told you before Sano, these two have special abilities. You have seen Hinata's for yourself and you have gotten a taste for what Naruto can do now as well, that you have. To put it simply, they are shinobi. There is a major difference between these two and Misao and the Oniwabanshu though. These two can use chakra and ninjutsu whereas the Oniwabanshu and all the other ninja that I have encountered here can no longer consciously use chakra, nor ninjutsu, that they cannot." He said.

"Wow, I didn't know they were ninja's!" Yahiko said surprised.

"Chakra, what is that?!" Sano asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

Hinata looked up a bit as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers. "I-It is the combination of ph-physical energy and spiritual energy in the body. And is used for ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques." She answered quietly, giving the standard academy definition..

"So kinda like a monk or a sage or something?" Sano asked as he thought about people he had fought before that had special powers.

Kenshin let out a relieved sigh. "Yes Sano. Shinobi who can use chakra are believed to be the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, the father of shinobi and ninshu, the way of the ninja." He replied, glad to see that Sano seemed to have a grasp on things a bit. "So, now why don't we go home, it is getting late and I am sure we are all tired."

With everyone in agreement they headed out. Naruto and Hinata lagging behind a bit. He was watching her from the corner of his eye and was a bit worried. She didn't seem herself. "Are you ok Hinata?" He asked as he turned to look at her. "That guy didn't hurt you or anything did he?"

"N-No, he didn't hurt me. I-I'm just tired and a bit light headed, that's all. I'll be ok." She said as she moved forward, struggling not to let her weakness show. She could still feel the drugs that they had used to knock her out in her system and the aftereffects of them were making her feel sluggish, weak and lightheaded.

"Here, let me help." He said as he moved in front of her and stooped down. "Hop on, I'll carry you."

"A-are you sure?" She asked hesitantly, her cheeks heating up in an embarrassed flush at the thought of being carried by Naruto.

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't!" He said as he grinned over his shoulder at her.

She looked down and away for a moment. "I-I don't want to be a burden…"

"You're not a burden Hinata, not now, not ever." He said as he continued to look over his shoulder at her.

She paused for a moment as his words sunk in. With a quiet sigh she moved forward. "A-alright, if you're sure." She said as she carefully climbed onto his back. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it!" He said, his voice getting quieter and gentler as he continued. "Just rest. You don't need to push yourself so hard. I'm here for you ok?"

"O-ok." She replied as she relaxed and was soon asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 8

They moved at a steady pace for home. Concerned, Kenshin looked over at Naruto. "Is she ok?" He asked quietly.

Naruto peeked over his shoulder at the sleeping girl on his back. "Yeah, I guess. She wasn't looking too good back there, so I offered to carry her." He said in a hushed voice. "She said she was feeling a bit tired and lightheaded when I asked her if she was ok though."

Kenshin frowned a bit at this. "Lightheaded and tired….she was probably given some kind of sleeping drug. That would explain how they got ahold of her without her causing a fuss."

Naruto glanced at his uncle for a moment before returning his attention to the road ahead. "Will she be ok?" He asked concerned.

"She should be fine with some sleep. We can have Dr. Gensai or Megumi-dono take a look at her tomorrow if she isn't feeling better."

Naruto gave a derisive snort. "The old man's fine, but I don't like that Megumi lady."

Sano, who was walking just ahead of them, moved back towards them a bit. "Why is that kid? Is it because she grabbed at your little girlfriend there?" He asked.

Yahiko, who was walking with Kaoru ahead of them turned. "G-girlfriend! I didn't know she was your girlfriend!" He said, his surprise written all over his face.

Kaoru let out a small giggle at Yahiko's reaction. "Well actually they're betrothed." She said with a grin.

"What!" He exclaimed as he looked up at Kaoru before turning back around. "Damn….well that explains a lot I guess." He mumbled to himself.

Naruto glanced at Sano. "I just don't like the way she just assumes things." He said, his tone serious. "Dr. Gensai didn't just assume Hinata was blind by looking at her, so he is ok."

He looked down at the blonde for a moment before replying. "She is a really good doctor though Naruto. You shouldn't…"

"Just leave it be Sano." Kenshin said interrupting the taller man. "Naruto will get to know her soon enough. Let him make up his own mind. We both know Megumi-dono meant no harm and he will figure that out for himself, that he will."

"Yeah fine, whatever." He said dropping the subject. "So, how exactly did you make all those Kenshin's back there?" He asked turning his attention back to Naruto.

"Oh...ah...those?" He said as he shifted Hinata's weight a bit and glanced up at his uncle, who gave him a small nod. "Well, it's kinda my specialty like I said. They're called shadow clones. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu makes exact copies of myself that can actually fight someone, but they disappear when they get hit hard or 'killed', and with a simple transformation jutsu I can make them look like anything or anyone I want to." He said as they walked along.

"Hey Kenshin, can you do that too?" Yahiko asked excitedly as he looked over his shoulder at him.

Kenshin chuckled at this. "No, I was not trained in ninjutsu just kenjutsu, that I was. What you see is what you get." He replied.

"Aww." Yahiko replied as he turned around again.

"So you can't use that chakra stuff then?" Sano asked as he looked over at his friend.

"I didn't say that." Kenshin said with a grin. "Even the samurai kenjutsu techniques where we come from require at least minor chakra ability. The Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is no exception."

Sano looked at him for a second. "So, where are you from anyway?" He asked.

Kenshin looked at his friend for a moment, then turned to look at Naruto who was eyeing him a bit. Obviously eager to chatter away about his home village, but having taken to heart Kenshin's warnings. "My home village was destroyed when I was just a boy." Kenshin said, deciding that a little truth with his friends was ok. "Our clan was all but obliterated with the exception of a lucky few who were able to escape or who were already out of the village for training. Me and my nee-san were among those few." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts as they walked. "Naruto here was born in an allied village where my nee-san had gone to train in the shinobi arts as a child. His home is a very powerful village, right Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gave a big grin. "Yep! It's the best one too! Everyone is really strong and we all work hard to protect it and our comrades! And I want to be the best one out of all of them too! I want to be the Hokage, just like my dad was, and then everyone will have to acknowledge me for just how awesome I am!" He said excitedly.

Sano looked at him curiously, "Hokage?" He asked.

Naruto's smile slipped a bit as he looked over at his uncle nervously. "Oh...uh…."

Kenshin sighed a bit, but was not angry, how could he be? It was Naruto's dream and he was enthusiastic about it. "Hokage is the title given to the leader of the village that he lives in. It is an appointed position that is given to the strongest shinobi in the village. Naruto-kun's father was one such shinobi."

"Ah, I get it. So you got to be really powerful to run a shinobi village then huh? You're dad must have been one tough guy then." Sano said as he looked down at Naruto.

"He was. He was the greatest hero the village ever had too." He replied quietly.

"Wait, had?" Yahiko asked curiously over his shoulder.

"Naruto-kun's parents both died the night he was born." Kenshi replied, his voice holding a sad tone to it.

"But he had you didn't he? I mean you are his uncle." Yahiko said.

"I only met Ji-san a couple of weeks ago." Naruto cut in. "I...have lived on my own since I could remember."

Yahiko looked at him over his shoulder a bit as he walked. ' _I guess we are a lot more alike than I thought.'_ He turned away, feeling a bit guilty at how he had treated both Naruto and HInata as he realized this. They just wanted to become strong and to be accepted. Wasn't that what he wanted as well? "Ah...hey Naruto, about the other day... I wasn't trying..."

"Anyway, what do you care?" Naruto barked, his azure eyes glimmering in the moonlight. "I bet I will be better than you with my bokken in no time!"

"What? No way! I'm _way_ better than you!" Yahiko growled back.

Naruto grinned excitedly. "In your dreams maybe!"

L_L

It was an hour before dawn when they arrived back at the dojo. Everyone was tired from the long night, but even so the group had moved quickly through the streets. Kenshin had kept a close eye on Naruto on the way home. He had even offered to take Hinata from him when he noticed he was tiring out, but he had stubbornly refused, which Sano had sniggered at. Apparently they were a lot alike when they were feeling stubborn. But the truth of the matter was that Naruto found Hinata's warm weight and rhythmic breathing comforting. It soothed his nerves in a way he wasn't used to and he was loath to give up this new experience. It also made him think, another thing he didn't do nearly enough of. His mind wandered and bits and pieces of the conversations that he had with his uncle back in Konoha came to mind. His words ringing in his ears as he walked.

" _...it would be up to you to protect her, to care for her and help her become strong like you..."_

" _...she in turn would be there to encourage you when you need it, would listen to you when you need someone to talk to and help you be strong when you feel weak…."_

" _The relationship, the bond that you are starting to build with Hinata-dono is a very special one…."_

" _You will be teammates in life, not just missions…."_

" _...just accept her for who she is as I am sure she will accept you for who you are..."_

' _That really is an awful lot to remember.'_ Naruto thought as he walked, his hands gripping Hinata a bit more firmly. ' _But it really does kinda make sense….and she really does listen to me and try to encourage me…..so I guess Ji-san really knows what he's talking about.'_ Naruto shifted Hinata's weight a bit at they entered the small Kamiya compound. He thoughts shifted to the way carrying her home had made him feel. How her mere presence had calmed the anxiety he had been feeling. ' _Is it a new part of the bond we are forming together?_ ' He wondered as he let out a quiet sigh. ' _This is kinda confusing too, but at least she is safe… and here with me.'_

"Alright, you can give her to me now Naruto, I'll put little missy to bed ok?" Sano said as he stepped over to the tired blonde shinobi. He hadn't missed the quiet sigh he had just let out, nor the tired look on Naruto's face as they had walked the last couple of miles. Everyone else had noticed as well and were watching curiously. Kenshin himself had thought about trying to take her from him again, but had thought better of it.

Naruto sidestepped quickly as Sano reached for Hinata's sleeping form. "I said, I got her." He growled quietly. Peeking over his shoulder to make sure she was still asleep. "I can put her to bed too, it's not a problem." He carefully shuffled her weight around for a moment, balancing her so that he could free his hands for a few seconds, he quickly made the hand signs and two shadow clones appeared and dashed off to the house. He carefully readjusted her as he gripped her legs again and started towards the house. "See? I don't need any help. I already go it all under control."

Sano sighed. "Alright, I guess those clone thingies really come in handy huh?" He said as he watched Naruto walk around the dojo towards the house.

"You have no idea!" Naruto replied, his voice quiet but cheerful once again.

"Do not feel bad Sano, he is used to doing everything for himself, that he is." Kenshin said as he watched him round the corner of the dojo. "We should all try to get a few hours of sleep, it has been a long night." He said as he moved towards the house himself.

"Yeah, no kidding." Kaoru agreed with a yawn. "I think I will have a little tea first though, I could use a warm drink to help me sleep." She said as she followed Kenshin around the end of the dojo.

"Well, I'm going to bed." Sano said as he walked off with a yawn.

"Me too." Yahiko agreed as he followed after him.

"Well, I think I shall join you Kaoru-dono. A nice cup of tea sounds good. Then I will check on those two" He said nodding towards Hinata's open shoji as they passed through the inner courtyard "and go to bed myself."

L_L

Naruto stepped into Hinata's room where the clones were finishing laying out her futon. Once they were done, one of them came over and helped him carefully lay her down, trying desperately not to wake her up.

He released his clones which caused her to stirred a bit, her eyes fluttered open for a second. "Naruto-kun?" She asked drowsily.

"Shh, it's alright. We're back at the dojo. You can go back to sleep, ok?" He said, his voice quiet as he laid a sheet over her to keep her from getting chilled.

"A-alright. Goodnight Naruto-kun." She said as she drifted back off.

"Night. " He replied quietly as he looked at her for a moment, his hand tentatively reaching out to gently brush her hair out of her face. ' _What am I doing?_ ' He thought as he withdrew his hand.

Sighing a little he stood up and made sure the shoji was closed. He stood there for a moment, frowning at the shoji. ' _What if they come back…..they could take her again before she is feeling better and can defend herself….and there is no lock on here either.'_ He thought as he tried for a moment to figure out a solution. Looking around the room, he spied her bokken and an idea popped into his head. Moving over to it he grabbed it and then moved to her shoji. He carefully wedged it between the frame and the wall so it would not slide open. ' _There!_ ' He thought proudly. With a grin he turned to leave. As he left her room he decided to head to the kitchen and let Kenshin know that he was headed to bed and she was all set. If he was still there having tea with Kaoru-sensei anyway.

L_L

"Well, at least you like my tea." Kaoru said with a pout. "I mean really, it's not that bad."

Kenshin chuckled a bit as they entered the kitchen. The forgotten food from dinner, now ice cold, sat on the large prep table in the center of the kitchen, he sighed a bit at all that wasted food. ' _Well, the soup should be ok if we reheat it in the morning and we can make onigiri with the rice I suppose._ ' He thought eyeing the food as Kaoru filled the kettle and lit a small fire in the stove. ' _But the fish...we might get sick if we eat that_.' With a sigh he moved around the table to the storage cabinets and got out the tin of tea and grabbed two cups. Moving back around the table he placed the tea and the cups on the table and idly watched Kaoru as she worked to light the stove.

Once she was satisfied that the small fire she had started she straightened and looked over at Kenshin intending to ask him to fill a pot with water but was stopped by the distance, thoughtful look on his face. "Kenshin?" She asked quietly, gaining the rurouni's attention. "Are you alright?"

"Aa, I am fine." He replied, his voice sounding thoughtful. "I was just thinking, that I was."

Kaoru moved to stand next to him. "What about?" She asked curiously.

Kenshin chuckled a bit at this. "Everything and nothing." He replied with a grin, causing Kaoru to scowl at him. He sighed as he continued. "Mostly about those two." He said, giving a nod in the general direction of Hinata's room. "And about something an old chinese philosopher once told me many years ago."

Kaoru nodded a bit at this as she had also been thinking about the two newest members of her dojo. "He has become very protective of her the last couple of days hasn't he?" She asked, curious to see if he had also picked up on Naruto's change in behavior.

"He has, but I am sure he will settle down with time. It is a new environment with many new people. It is understandable for him to feel insecure and become protective of someone he has grown close too." He replied.

"I hope so, I don't want to see him and Yahiko at eachother's throats all the time." She replied causally. "So, what does this have to do with the old philosopher that you mentioned?"

Kenshin chuckled as he thought again about what the gentle old man had taught him and the similarities that he was seeing in the two young shinobi. "Have you ever heard of Yin and Yang?" He asked.

Kaoru grew thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I have heard something about that before….I don't really remember anything about it though."

"Aa, well it is basically the philosophy that two opposite and opposing forces are actually complementary or two halves of a whole. For instance night and day, or light and shadow."

"Ok, that is easy enough to understand, but what made you think of that?" She asked curiously.

"Naruto and Hinata did actually." He replied with a grin. "I have seen many opposite and opposing personalities before but never ones that actually complement each other. Those two balance each other beautifully...it's almost surreal how well they fit together to tell you the truth. He is stubborn, strong willed and confident while she is much more agreeable, weak willed and lacks confidence in herself. But when he's with her he's quieter, more willing to compromise, to listen and think things through a bit more than he normally would. While she becomes more secure and willing to speak her mind, to push harder and strive to be stronger. It is like they really _see_ each other and they just naturally lock together somehow…." A thought struck him then, something that hadn't thought of in over ten years. "...almost like she is the sheath to his sword. Tempering the steel of his will and becoming stronger for it."

Kaoru nodded her head as she listened. "I see what you mean...it's almost like they were made for each other." She said, letting out a soft giggle as she moved to fill the almost forgotten pot with water and placed it on the stove. "The whole day and night thing fits them too."

"Really?" He asked curiously.

Kaoru looked at him, surprised. "You don't see it? He is probably the sunniest person I have ever met. Bright and energetic and with his coloring he's like a bright summer day…." She trailed off a bit as she situated herself by the stove, enjoying the warmth radiation off of it. "With Hinata, well most of the time when you think of someone who is dark you think of someone who is gloomy or evil or something…..but if you look at it as night time then Hinata would fit. Her calm, gentle personality makes me think of a warm spring night. And with her dark hair and light colored eyes….well I'm sounding like quite the romantic right now aren't I?" She laughed.

He chuckled at this. "Not at all Kaoru-dono, you are quite right, that you are." He replied as a comfortable silence fell between them.

After a couple of minutes he noticed she was still warming herself by the stove, "Are you cold Kaoru-dono?" He asked growing a bit concerned. It was mid summer and the weather had been warm, this evening being no exception.

"Not really. The heat just feels good, that's all." She said as she moved to measured some dried tea leaves into the teapot. "Sometimes I get a little chilly when I'm overtired. You don't need to worry though, I know I'm not getting sick or anything."

"As long as you are fine Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said as moved closer to her and gently placed a hand on her arm. His voice and features softened as he continued. "I worry about you, that I do."

"I can take care of myself too you know!" She said looking up at him. Her breath caught in her throat at the soft look on his face. "Kenshin…."

"I...I know you can take care of yourself. This one... worries that's all." He said as he gazed gently at her. After a long moment, the sound of the water coming to a boil broke the moment between them. "Sorry, sorry!" He said with a chuckle as he went to the stove. "I am just overtired myself, that I am." He carefully poured the hot water into the teapot for Kaoru, feeling at the moment it was best if he kept himself busy, afraid he might say more than he should.

Kaoru watched him for a moment as he poured the water for their tea. She absentmindedly chewed her lip a bit as she contemplated him and the way he was just acting. Once his hands were free, she gently grabbed at the sleeve of his kimono gaining his attention. "Kenshin…" She said, not quite sure how or what to say. She slowly released his kimono and tentatively took his slightly larger hand in her smaller ones. "I...I appreciate your concern. It makes me happy that you care. I….I worry for you too and I….don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you." She said her voice soft and words a bit hesitant.

Kenshin looked at her for a long moment before he slowly raised his free hand and gently caressed her cheek. With a sigh he closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, a rare sign of his affection. "Kaoru-dono." He said, his voice barely above a whisper as he stood there, eyes closed, hand clasped in hers. "You do not know how much your concern means to me, that you do not."

"No, you're wrong." She said softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I know my concern is important to you, just as your concern for me is important to me. I...I just….Kenshin I…" She stopped at the soft sound of footsteps in the living room.

They looked up to see an embarrassed Naruto staring at them from the entryway, his eyes darting from one to the other for a moment. "I..uhh...I mean... sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt….I uhh….I'm going to bed now!" He said as he quickly turned and bolted from the room, leaving both Kenshin and Kaoru feeling a bit embarrassed themselves.

Kenshin was the first to move as he stepped away with a chuckle. "Well the tea is ready now at least." He said as he poured the hot liquid into their cups. He carefully hand her one as he took his own and took a sip. "We will sleep well now won't we Kaoru-dono?" He asked, a note of teasing in his voice as he carefully drank the hot beverage.

Kaoru looked at him for a moment, wanting to say so much but knowing that the time was not right. "Yeah, we'll sleep well." She replied as she too sipped her tea.

Once Kenshin was done he left the room and walked quietly down the center hall of the house. He quietly peeked into Naruto's room to see him sprawled out on his futon already fast asleep. Suppressing a chuckle he moved on and peeked into Hinata's room. She too was fast asleep on her futon. Kenshin smiled at the care that Naruto had apparently take as she was covered by a light sheet and he could see with the dim predawn light that was coming through the shoji, that Naruto had used a bokken to block it from opening. ' _I guess he was more worried that I thought._ ' He said to himself as he closed the panel and went to his room where he himself fell asleep quickly.

The next week went by without any additional drama and they were able to finally settle back into daily life at the dojo. It had taken another day for what aggression there had been between Naruto and Yahiko to fully dissipate, but now they bickered in a more friendly way. Much like Sano and Yahiko did. Hinata, for her part, gamely dug into helping with the household chores without being asked and she always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else on them too. Which amused both Kenshin and Kaoru to no end. It seemed like she found her niche in the household without even trying. Naruto on the other hand he had to keep a close eye on as he tried to get out of his assigned chores whenever possible. The only one he seemed to like, surprisingly enough, was watering the vegetable garden. They had just planted more leeks, hakurei turnips, some greens and Hinata's herbs and he would diligently water them every evening. Just the thought made him shake his head in amusement. Maybe once they harvested the vegetables he would show him how to prepare a dish or two with them. After all it was just as important for him to know how to properly feed and cook for himself.

As far as their training was concerned, they were progressing nicely. Their kenjutsu training was moving rapidly along. They had picked up the first few kata's with ease, which Kenshin suspected was because of the years of weapons training that they already had, and were doing simple spars against each other to practice using the kata forms in a 'battle' setting. This is where Naruto was having a bit of a problem though. His first instinct was still to punch and kick and use other taijutsu moves, which would be fine if he wasn't supposed to be practicing his kenjutsu. Hinata, on the other hand, was having an easier time sticking to kenjutsu only when they spared for Kaoru.

As Kenshin crossed the yard with a large pile of laundry in his arms he could hear one of their spars in full swing. He turned his head slightly to take it in. He watched as Naruto dashed passed the partially open doorway, his bokken raised to attack. Seconds later he could hear the exchange of blows.

Crack Crack Crack…. Crack

Kaoru's voice could be heard as she reprimanded him. "No, not like that! Do it again, and don't use your feet! You're supposed to be using your bokken to push her back!" She growled, her annoyance evident in her voice.

"Oh come _on_! You said to attack and push her back and I did! Does it really matter how?!" Naruto barked back.

"Yes it does! You both need to get the basics down before even _thinking_ of adding anything else to the moves and right now is her turn to work on defense! Start again or I'll have Yahiko do it!" Kaoru barked back.

Kenshin turned his attention away with a shake of his head, Yahiko's snide remarks going unnoticed. ' _Maybe I should take them to the woods soon so they can have a full on spar and practice their ninjutsu a bit_.' He thought as he started the wash. Their taijutsu was also coming along well. Naruto was getting better at keeping his center of gravity stable, but was still sloppy when he sparred, but was slowly getting better at that too. Hinata's endurance was much better than the first night, he was beginning to suspect that she might have been just overly tired from the trip to Japan.

A while later, Kenshin sighed as he hung up the last of the laundry. ' _There, everything should be dry by this evening._ ' The thought as he looked up at the late morning sunshine. While normally such a beautiful summer day would have him going down to the river to fish, but he could feel his mood starting to darken. He narrowed his eyes at the sky a bit, a feeling of foreboding starting to creep up on him. After a moment he shook his head to clear his mind. ' _I probably need a good spar myself and release a bit of my KI.'_ He thought, and then decided that he would have a good spar in the morning with Yahiko. He did want to see how he was progressing after all. And maybe join in with Naruto and Hinata in their spar as well. Giving Naruto a taste of battle against a kenjutsu user might motivate him to focus a bit better. Giving himself a bit of a nod at his decision, he quickly put the wash basin away and headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch. ' _I wonder if I'll beat Hinata-dono?_ ' He thought, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly as he entered the kitchen.

"You beat me again Hinata-dono, that you did." Kenshin teased from the doorway, startling the young kunoichi who was in the process of getting out the supplies to start lunch.

Hinata jumped a bit at the sound of his voice. "O-oh, sorry Kenshin-sensei." She said, feeling a bit embarrassed at the teasing remark.

"It's ok. I was going to cook lunch myself and was thinking of showing Naruto how to cook as well. Do you think he would like that?" He asked as he moved into the kitchen.

"W-well, I don't know. He has never show any interest in cooking before…." Hinata replied a bit hesitantly.

"Aa...well could you go get him for me? I think it would be good for him to learn a few basic things at least." He asked.

"S-sure." Hinata said as she turned and disappeared out of the shoji and into the yard.

A few minutes later Naruto popped his head into the kitchen. "You wanted to see me Ji-san?" He asked curiously.

"I did." Kenshin said motioning him into the room. "I was a bit curious, I had been thinking a bit on the vegetable garden today and what we will make with the vegetables we are growing and I was wonder if you knew how to cook?"

Naruto looked at him for a moment, his face scrunched up a bit in confusion. "Cook?" He asked. "I know how to boil water and heat stuff up without burning it….most of the time anyway. Is that you mean?"

"In a way. Can you make tea?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's not as good as your's or Hinata's though." Naruto answered with a bit of a pout.

Kenshin looked him for a moment before asking his next question. "How about rice or grilled fish or grilled vegetables?" He asked, naming a couple of things that were easy enough and even Kaoru could do decently….at least some of the time.

Naruto rubbed at the back of his head feeling a bit sheepish. "Well, that depends on if you like it burnt or not…." He replied with a bit of a chuckle.

The corner of Kenshin's mouth twitch a bit in amusement. "Would you like to learn? I do not know a lot of recipes or anything but do know the basic's. I have found that knowing how to cook, at least a little, is a very handy skill to have, that it is."

Naruto eyed him warily. "I don't know….."

"Well, it was an idea. We have some lovely vegetables growing thanks to your efforts with watering them…." He said giving the blonde boy a nod of appreciation "and thought that since you did so well with growing them that I might show you how to use them too. Of course, it helps if you know some basics and I had wanted to take this time to work with you on them, but if you're not interested that is ok, that it is. I can always teach Hinata-dono, I am sure she will appreciate learning how your grandmother like to prepare turnips and squash."

Kenshin eye Naruto a bit, watching his wary look turn to one of contemplation. He knew it was a bit of a dirty trick using Naruto's curiosity about the family he never knew against him, but honestly he _did_ want to teach him how to prepare vegetables, and it _was_ how his mother, Naruto's grandmother, taught him how to prepare them. Not to mention that the boy needed to be able to cook at least a little. His obsession with ramen was not good for his health.

Now Kenshin was the first to admit he was a short man, he got his height from his mother, but his father was a moderately tall man and his sister had gotten his height, and her husband had been even taller. He was no fool to think Naruto was the correct size for his age. He felt he should be at least 2-3 inches taller than he was currently, which meant that he didn't eat right and Kenshin was determined that by the time he went home he would be able to feed himself properly.

"So then it's like a family recipe or something?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You could say that. It was something I wanted to pass down to you, since I never got to learn any of the clans jutsu's and can't teach you those. But, since Hinata-dono _is_ your betrothed, I could always teach her, that I could." Kenshin said as he turned away a bit. "Although, traditionally, it would be something that you would teacher when she becomes your wife." He moved around the table to get the rice down off of the shelf as he let Naruto digest that bit of information.

Once he placed the rice on the table he eyed Naruto for a moment before continuing. "I had also been thinking that Sano could show you the correct way to grill fish as well some time, it is the one dish he does well after all, and he is quite proud of it too. I know he would be happy to share that knowledge with you. He has been hounding me on ways he can help train you besides being a sparring partner. He has taken quite a shine to both you and Hinata-dono." He said as he moved around the kitchen, gathering a couple pots as he let Naruto think. Eyeing him as he rubbed at the back of his head some more, his face scrunched up in indecision. "You know, your dad used to make the best grilled fish….I never did figure out how he did it." He said, keeping his voice casual before letting out a slight chuckle. "Your mother was quite jealous and she was a good cook herself, that she was."

"Really?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yes. Your father was not only a great shinobi but a good cook too. And I'll tell you a secret..." Kenshin said, his voice taking on a teasing note. "He did laundry too!"

Naruto let out a laugh at the thought of the great Yondaime hunched over a laundry tub. "What! No way!"

"Yep. He said it was good training in self reliance. He believed that a shinobi should be able to fully take care of oneself no matter what it was, whether it was laundry, cooking a decent meal or defeating enemy ninja." He said as he moved around the kitchen, getting the other supplies needed for lunch.

"Self reliance huh?" Naruto said his face turning thoughtful once again.

"Yes. He believe that if you couldn't take proper care of yourself then how could you be expected to take care of others. Taking care of his loved one's was very important to him, that it was." Kenshin said, eyeing the blonde boy as he filled a pot with water for tea.

"Well…" Naruto said as he shifted from foot to foot a bit as he thought. "Well, if dad could do all that…..then I guess I could learn how to make rice." Naruto said as he stepped fully into the room.

Kenshin smiled over at him. "Alright then, why don't you show me how you do it and I'll see what your doing wrong, ok?"

Thirty minutes later both males were standing at the stove looking intently at the covered pot. "Do you hear the sound it's making?" Kenshin asked as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto cocked his head to the side, his face scrunched up a bit in concentration as he listened. "Uh...yeah. It's kinda making like a cracking-hissing sound." He said.

"Good, that's what you want, that you do." Kenshin said as he carefully moved the pot off of the stove. "Now we need to let it sit for at least 10 minutes…"

"Ten minutes!" Naruto asked surprised, he had always thought you just served it once it was done.

"Yes, 10 minutes. Which gives us enough time to make a pot of Miso soup, that it does." Kenshin said as he moved around the kitchen. "Now, we have a pot of hot water on the stove for soup, correct?" He asked Naruto as he moved.

"Uh…..yeah?" He replied.

Kenshin smiled a bit at how unsure he sounded. "Ok, now we will take these items" He said as he placed a bunch of stuff on the table "to make soup."

Naruto stared at the pile of ingredients for a moment before looking up at Kenshin. "This stuff makes soup?"

Kenshin chuckled a bit. "Yes Naruto, this makes soup. We have nori, miso paste, tofu and I like to add green onions, that I do." He said indicating each ingredient. "Now what do you think we do first?"

Naruto's face scrunched up a bit as he looked at the items in front of him. "I…..have no idea."

"The first step is going to slice up the nori into smaller cubes and let it sit in the water while we prep the other ingredients." He said as he move around the kitchen, grabbing two sharp knives as he went. Once he had the knives he went and stood by Naruto's side and took two of the four sheets of nori they were using. "I will show you by cutting these two and you will cut those two." He said as he handed the other knife and two sheets of nori to Naruto. "Now watch carefully." He said as he made slices along the length and width of the nori sheets cutting them into bite sized pieces.

"Ok I got this!" Naruto said as he too sliced up the nori sheet. His pieces weren't nearly as neat and uniform in appearance. Naruto frowned down at the nori and looked over at Kenshin's. "Mine don't look like yours." He said with a pout.

"That's fine, you just need practice, that you do." Kenshin said as he scooped up both sets of nori and placed them in the pot of boiling water on the stove. "Now we will slice up the tofu. Do you want to see something that only a master swordsman can do with a properly sharp knife?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Naruto said eagerly.

Kenshin smiled at him as he moved the tofu in front of himself. Turning his attention to the item in front of him he picked up the knife and with a lightning fast move cut the tofu in half.

"Wow, that was fast!" Naruto said in awe.

"I'm not done yet." Kenshin said as he took the two halves and placed them back together. The cut disappearing completely. Carefully picking it up he showed Naruto that it was once again a whole piece. "The technique is called Modoshigiri. Only a master swordsman using the sharpest of blades can perform this technique."

"Wow! Can I do that too?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Maybe if you master kenjutsu." Kenshin said causing Naruto's face to fall a bit. "But let us continue making the soup. I am sure everyone is hungry, that they are." He said as he once again cut the tofu in half, placing one piece in front of Naruto and showing him how to cut it.

Once the tofu was cut and added to the pot Kenshin took a small bowl and scooped out some of the miso paste into the bowl. "Now this is a bit tricky as it takes practice to know how much miso you need for the amount of soup you are making. But it is very important to mix the miso in a separate bowl with some of the hot water first, that it is." He said as he added a ladle of the boiling water to the bowl and mixing it with the paste.

"Why would you do that and not just dump it in?" Naruto asked curiously as he watched him.

"It makes the paste smooth so that the soup won't have lumps of miso in it." He said as he added another ladle of water. Once he was satisfied he showed the mixture to Naruto. "See how thin it is now and not lumpy?" He asked, once he got a nod he continued. "That is what you are looking for. Now we just dump this in the pot and stir." He said as he turned to the stove and mixed the miso in thoroughly.

"What about the green onions?" Naruto asked as he eyed the last item on the table.

"Those go in when the soup is almost done so that they don't get overcooked." He replied as he turned back around and placed half of the green onions in front of Naruto and took the other half for himself. With a bit of mischief in his eyes he sliced up the onions in the blink of an eye.

"You really are fast Ji-san!" Naruto said in awe.

"I am, and when you are ready I will show you how to be fast too. But first you need to practice, that you do." He said with a smile.

With a pout Naruto sliced up the green onions in front of him, once that was done Kenshin moved them off to the side. He then quickly showed him how he measured the tea leaves for the pot and poured the water in for it to steep. Once that was done, they added the green onions to the soup so they could soften a bit and turned back to the rice.

"Well, now let's see how you did." Kenshin said as he pulled the lid off the pot for Naruto to take a peek.

"Well, it doesn't smell burned." Naruto said as he looked into the pot.

Kenshin handed him the rice paddle and the wood container that they served the rice from. "Well then, that is a good start, that it is! Put the rice in here while I get the dishes together, alright?"

As Kenshin moved around the kitchen gathering the dishes needed for lunch he jumped at Naruto's excited shout.

"YATTA! I really didn't burn it Ji-san!" He exclaimed excitedly as he showed the bottom of the pot to Kenshin. "And it wasn't even that hard either!"

Kenshin let out a chuckle. "Very good. Now you know how to make rice correctly, and with a little practice you will be able to do it in your sleep, that you will." He teased as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Now, let's serve lunch. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

L_L

A shadowy figure moved swiftly through the deserted corridors of the mansion, his black robes billowing out slightly in his wake. Reaching his destination, he quickly ducked into the room and approached the the man within.

Ice cold blue eyes turned towards him. "Have you finished then Gein-san?" The white haired man asked.

"Yes, as you requested I have tailed the Battousai for the past few days. It seems that things have become even more interesting than we had originally anticipated." The masked man replied, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"Oh really? How so?" He asked, his interest peaked.

"It seems our dear friend 'Kenshin' has brought a nephew home to roost at the Kamiya dojo along with a young girl of the same age with strange eyes, who is the boy's betrothed as well." Gein replied, a grin spreading un-seen on his face.

A dark grin spread across the white haired man's face. "So the Battousai has family as well as a new woman…..is the boy an easy target?"

"Not at the moment, he seems to be stuck to his uncle like glue." Gein replied. "I have yet to see the Battousai leave the Kamiya-dojo without the boy in tow. The girl is a different story. It seems the Battousai is foolishly allowing the women in his life to go unprotected."

"The boy would be a better target though….we will need to bided our time with that one I think. Although, putting his nephew through the hell of losing his betrothed may work in our favor too." He said as he lost himself in the new possibilities before him. "Gather the others for a meeting. We shall move tomorrow night."

"Right away Enishi-san." Gein replied as he turned and hurried from the room,

 **AN:** Ah, so a little bit of fluff and a bit of daily life at the dojo. Now it is time to move forward again and we will be going through the jinchuu arc as this story started just after the shishio arc (as it was mentioned in Kenshin's thoughts in chp 5). So now it is time to see how things will change with two young shinobi mixing it up.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 9

Yahiko dashed forward raising the his bokken as he went. "HAA!" He yelled as he brought down the wooden training sword in a slash towards Kenshin, who easily blocked it one handed with his borrowed bokken. Stepping to the side Kenshin easily sent Yahiko stumbling forward under his own momentum and readied himself for Yahiko's next strike. They were both working up a good sweat as they spared in the yard as the warm morning sun gave the promise of a hot summer afternoon to come.

They had been sparring for half an hour by this point, and Kenshin could tell Yahiko was tiring. He was pleased at how well Yahiko was coming along though. The boy was getting quick on his feet and his stances were very good. Easily dodging another attack he quickly countered which sent Yahiko stumbling again. Naruto's cat calling from the engawa had Yahiko growling and rushing in again before he was ready, with a quick dodge on Kenshin's part, Yahiko ended up face first on the ground.

Kenshin looked down at the panting boy as he sat up. "You need to keep better control of your temper Yahiko, you can not let taunting get to you. If you lose your head in battle it will cost you your life, that it will." He said as he offered the boy a hand up.

"Yeah, yeah…..I know." Yahiko sighed as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Why don't you go and get cleaned up, you have work at the Akabeko today don't you?" Kenshin asked as he looked up to judge the time.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you there tonight then." Yahiko said as he started to move off.

"Aa, we will be there." He said dismissing the boy. As he moved to go to the well to get a drink of water Naruto shot off of the engawa, where he had been sitting with HInata and Sano, and made a beeline for him.

"That was soo _COOL_ Ji-san! Yahiko didn't stand a chance against you!" He exclaimed excitedly. "You didn't even need two hands on your bokken either! You were all like….'HA!'...and he was on the ground!" He said as he playfully imitated the spar.

Kenshin laughed at his antics. "I have years more experience than Yahiko does Naruto, that I do. He is doing well though, so do not be so quick to judge. I doubt you will do better against me yourself when we spar later."

"Yeah right! I'm going to show you just how awesome I am so just you wait Ji-san!" Naruto exclaimed, his excitement growing again at the promise of a full on spar.

Kenshin chuckled at this. "We will see won't we then?" He said as he reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately. "Why don't you go and get Hinata and the two of you get your things together so we can leave in a little while."

"You got it!" Naruto said with a grin as he turned and dashed back over to the engawa. "Come on Hinata! We gotta get our stuff!" He said as he hopped up onto the engawa and dashed around the house, Hinata following after him at a more sedate pace.

"He's going to run us all into the ground one of these days." Sano said with a chuckle as he walked over. "I don't think I have ever met anyone with so much energy in my life, I swear just watching him makes me tired!"

"I know what you mean." Kenshin said as he finished his drink of water, placing the wooden ladle and cup they kept there away. "I am going to get quite the workout today, that I am. Did you want to come with us? Hinata-dono made a bunch of onigiri for us to have a quick lunch once we find a good spot for our spar."

"Nah, I can't. I got some things I got to do in town today." Sano replied with a sigh.

"Next time then." He said as he looked off towards the house. "Will you be at the Akabeko tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course! Don't tell those two, but Missy and Tae decided they wanted to throw a little welcome to the 'family' party for them." Sano said, studying Kenshin a bit.

Kenshin grinned at this. "Aa….I suppose we are kinda like a mismatched little family aren't we?"

"Yeah we are." Sano agreed with a smile. "Well, I'll see ya tonight." He said as he turned and left with a wave.

Kenshin watched Sano leave, his grin slipping as the same foreboding feeling he had had last night came back full force.

It didn't take them long to reach the bamboo forest on the outskirts of the city. It was a place Kenshin knew well as he liked to come here to clear his mind and run through his kenjutsu kata's in peace. There was a moderately sized clearing out of sight from the road that they decided would work and once they had their light lunch Kenshin had them start with a short, full spar. This time however he would allowed them to use kunai, shuriken and low level jutsu's. The only stipulation he had put in place was no kenjutsu as they were going to have a kenjutsu spar later. What he hoped to do by structuring the spars this way was to enforce kenjutsu as a separate fighting style from what they normally use. By forming this separation in their minds it would allow them to build the habits and reflexes they would need to fight successfully in a kenjutsu battle. Once he was satisfied that they could fight just as well with kenjutsu as they could with their shinobi skills, then and only then, would they be able to begin to integrate kenjutsu into their shinobi fighting style.

Kenshin watched as Naruto put Hinata on the defensive with a pair of shadow clones. She hopped back once, twice, three times as she dodged the clones attacks before she found an opening and bolted forward, hitting them with her chakra laced palms and causing them to dispel. Using her momentum to carry her forward, she continued on and engaged Naruto himself in a short, fast paced exchange of blows which ended when he managed to dodge a blow and flip over her. He allowed them to continue on in this way for several more minutes before he called a halt to the fight.

"Now, before we begin our kenjutsu spars I want the two of you to come at me using your shinobi skills." He said as he moved towards the opposite side of the clearing. Once he was in position he turned towards them. "But first, have either of you been taught how to control your KI?"

"No."

"N-no…"

"Alright. I will not start you on that today, but I will release mine so that you will be able to recognise the feel of my KI." Kenshin said as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a few moments his eyes snapped open. They were narrowed dangerously, their normal warmth gone. The natural violet color was darker, cold as steel and flecked with gold. The air around him became more oppressive. The leaves that were fluttering gently down from the higher parts of the bamboo plants around them seemed to freeze in mid air. As he let loose his KI the leaves that seemed to be frozen in place swirled and exploded outwards, turning dangerously sharp with the explosion of his released KI and all the bamboo stalks within ten meters of him were cut down as if by a blade.

Naruto and Hinata both stumbled back, tripping over themselves a bit as the dense wave of power washed over them. They stared in awe at him, for neither of them had ever felt KI so potent before. Naruto couldn't help but think that even Zabuza would have wet his pants if his Ji-san had been his opponent.

"It is important…" He said gaining the full attention of both young genin, his voice having taken on a much more serious tone than before. "...to remember that there are two things in this world that a swordsman is bound to with bonds that can never be severed. Those two things are 'the sword' and 'the fight'. In this way swordsmen and shinobi from our homeland are much alike. Without 'the fight' our bodies, minds and skills become rusty and dull like an old forgotten blade. Useless and without a purpose. Our KI will build up to oppressive levels, darkening our moods, our minds and even our hearts. That is why swordsmen and shinobi alike are forever training. To keep our KI in balance, our bodies and minds strong and lethal. And that is also why the bond with 'the sword' can never be broken. 'The sword', our way of life, forever fighting to protect what we deem important by using our power, our strength, that we have worked diligently to hone and sharpen into the finest of weapons."

"Now…" He continued as he took another deep breath and allowed his KI to dissipate. The warm, violet color returning to his eyes in the process. "...we will begin."

Kenshin was pleasantly tired as the three of them walked down the busy street. The downtown business district was humming with late afternoon shoppers and he watched as both Naruto and Hinata, who were walking several paces ahead of him, looked around with great interest. Even though they had been in Tokyo for just over a week, they hadn't had a chance to explore the city yet. Not with everything that had been going on recently anyway. He decided that it was time, beyond time really, that they be introduced to the city that would be their home for the next few years.

The sound of Naruto's voice brought him out of his ponderings. "Are we almost there Ji-san?" Naruto asked as he turned around and walked backwards, his hands behind his head. "Are we eating there too? Their food is really good, even if it isn't ramen!"

Hinata let out a giggle and turned towards him. "A-all you ever think about is ramen."

Naruto turned slightly towards her as he continued to walk backwards. "Well of course! Ramen is the best food ever!" He exclaimed.

Kenshin let out a chuckle at Naruto's enthusiasm. "Yes we are almost there. Just another block up the street and you will see it on the right."

"Yatta!" Naruto exclaimed. "You wanna race?" He asked Hinata as he turned to bolt through the crowd, running face first into an extremely large, one armed man. Stumbling back he landed on his back with loud 'OOF'.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Hinata asked concerned as she looked down at him for a moment before moving her attention to the large man. As she looked up...and up...she became a bit nervous. This man was the tallest, most muscular man she had ever seen and he was looking down at them with an unreadable expression on his face. "Um...P-Please excuse Naruto-kun Sir, H-He wasn't watching where he was g-going." She said, fidgeting nervously as she took a small step back, bowing low to the large man. "W-we are sorry for being in your way!" She said as she apologized for the two of them.

Sitting up Naruto, who hadn't been paying any attention to what was going on, looked up at Hinata. "Ow, did I run into a brick wall or something? Hey, why are you bowing?" He asked as he turned his attention to what, or more precisely who, he had run into. "Whoa! YOU'RE HUGE!" He exclaimed a bit surprised at first, but a smile quickly splitting his face as he stood up. "You must be really strong huh?! THAT'S SOO AWESOME! I hope I get strong like you! Then I would be soo awesome too! No one would stand a chance against me and I could beat all the bad guys no problem!"

Hinata grabbed his arm to get his attention. "N-Naruto-kun, you ran into him, you should apologize." She said once she got his attention.

"Oh, right!" He said as he looked up at him. Smiling up at him sheepishly as he rubbed at the back of his head he continued. "Yeah, sorry I ran into you! I wasn't looking where I was going and I probably should have been ya'know! We're going to the Akabeko with Ji-san to meet up with his friends and stuff and I wanted to race Hinata, but anyway, their food is really good but not as good as ramen! Do you like ramen?"

Hyougo Kujiranami stared down at the small blonde boy in front of him as he looked up at him with large, friendly blue eyes and an eager expression on his face. He reminded him vaguely of an over eager puppy. "Ramen's ok…." He replied in his deep, baritone voice. "You should pay more attention to where you are going gaki. Not everyone is forgiving." He said as he moved around the two kids and continued down the street.

Kenshin stood frozen, he had lost sight of Naruto and Hinata for a moment in the crowd as a large group had passed and when they had come back in sight Naruto was on the ground and _that man_ was there, looking down at him. ' _That man, he...he's the one I fought that day…._ ' He thought stunned as he watched the short exchange between Naruto, Hinata and the ex-samurai. As the man continued down the street, passing Kenshin as he went, he slowly turned and watched the man walk away. Still in shock, he didn't hear Naruto asking if he was ok.

* * *

He stood quietly looking down on Tokyo from Mount Ueno, the street lanterns and gas lights sparkling in the night much like the stars above. Hyogo Kujiranami couldn't help but enjoy the view, it was beautiful after all. Sensing a presence nearby he turned slightly. "It's about time you showed Enishi-san." He said as he spotted the white haired young man.

"Ah, forgive me, I was enjoying the walk here." Enishi said with a grin, his voice pleasant. "I almost forgot how eager everyone is to start, you most of all. You're weapon is waiting for you whenever you're ready." He adjusted his dark tinted glasses a bit. "It the perfect night for this, the beginning of our revenge, don't you think Kujiranami-san?"

* * *

Naruto and Hinata had both been a little embarrassed and very flattered at the party that had been thrown for them, Naruto especially. He had never felt so accepted in his life and it nearly drove him to tears. Dinner at the Akabeko had been fun and loud as even Megumi, Dr. Gensai and his granddaughters had shown up, both girls excited about seeing their 'nii-san' and 'nee-san' again.

Once dinner had finished, drinks had been passed around for a while. Sano had entertained the group for a bit with a few stories of some of the fights he had been in, playing up his part of course. Eventually Dr. Gensai, with Megumi's help, had gathered up his sleepy granddaughters and left for home.

Now everyone was out, walking by the river and enjoying the evening breeze that was coming in from the coast as was their habit whenever they ate out at the Akabeko. Fireflies lit up the area making the night seem almost magical. Kenshin watched, barely paying attention, as his friends made their way down the slight embankment to the river's edge, chatting and even trying to catch a firefly or two.

Sano eyed Kenshin speculatively as he walked up to him. "You know Kenshin…." He began, startling the red head. "...I know there has been a lot going on, getting those two settled and figuring out what needs to be done with their training and all, but you have been acting weird the last couple of days. You've been getting all dark on me again, and don't think I haven't noticed. I'm your friend, I notice these things. Even missy's been giving you worried looks that you haven't noticed, so I want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

Kenshin looked at him for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Aa, well I guess I should be more surprised if you didn't notice." He said with a chuckle. "It's true, my mood's been a bit dark the last couple of day's…..I just needed to cut loose a bit and having a good spar with Naruto and Hinata this afternoon really helped, that it did." He said as he turned back to watch as Naruto was horsing around with Yahiko causing both boys to fall into the river, much to the girls amusement. "As for being a bit weird….well I kept getting this feeling yesterday and this morning, almost like a premonition. I felt like something dark was on the horizon. I haven't felt a feeling like that since the war…..and this afternoon we came across someone I had fought in the Bakumatsu, Hyougo Kujiranami. I can't help but think that the two may be related somehow."

"If it's the guy that I'm thinking of, he had just had dinner at the Akabeko before you showed up, and to be fair, he was probably just passing through the city. You're probably just reading too much into it Kenshin. We've been at peace now for over a decade, just because you run across someone you fought in the war doesn't mean that something bad's about to happen." Sano said as he rubbed at the back of his head in thought. "I will give you that the coincidence is kinda nerve wracking though, but really, I wouldn't worry about it. And if something happens then we'll deal with it. You got us to help you out now so it'll be fine either way."

"Thanks Sano, you're right. There really is no need to worry about it unless something happens, that there isn't." Kenshin said, feeling relieved to have talked with Sano, and to know that he would be there to help if needed.

"No problem, we're friends, we are supposed to help each other out right?" He said with a grin as the rest of the group started making their way back up the embankment, two dripping wet boys in tow.

"That's true, that it is." Kenshin said with a smile. As he turned and eyed the condition of the two boys he chuckled. "I think it's time to head back to the house so we can get these two dried off. What were the two of you doing anyway?" He asked.

"Nothing!" They chorused to the amusement of the girls.

Kaoru, who was standing near Kenshin, turned to the two men. "They were showing off." She said with amusement.

Kenshin chuckled at this. "Aa, I see." He said as he took in the pouting faces of the two boys. "Well, boys will be boys as they say." He said. "Let's get going, it's getting late and these two will catch a cold if they don't get dried off soon." He said as he turned and headed down the road again. "Tae-dono, we will walk you and Tsubame-dono back to the Akabeko since it's on the way. I wouldn't want anything to happen to the two of you this late in the evening."

"Thank you Kenshin, you're always such the gentleman!" Tae teased as they walked along.

"I know, right?" Kaoru said as she joined in. Turning to address the two boys following in her wake she continued. "You two could learn a lot about manners from Kenshin, especially if you want to impress the girls." She teased, causing both boys to blush and sputter denials which caused the rest of the group to laugh.

A few minutes later the group had settled down into quiet chatter as they walked along the river road. They were approaching the turn they would need to take to head back into downtown to reach the Akabeko when the quiet evening was destroyed by the sound of a loud boom.

Kenshin's blood turned to ice at the sound. ' _No...that sound...it couldn't be…_ ' he thought to himself as he turned in the general direction that the sound had originated from. He could hear the confusion of his friends as they talked around him.

"What was that, fireworks?" Kaoru asked, confused.

"It's awful late to be setting off fireworks isn't it?" Tae replied.

Hinata and Naruto both looked at each other, sharing a nervous look between them. "I-I don't know what that was, but that wasn't fireworks." Hinata said as turned towards Kaoru.

"It wasn't? I wonder what it was then?" Kaoru said curiously.

Naruto gulped a bit. "It had to be a weapon of some kind. A very powerful weapon."

"It sounded like an Armstrong cannon, but I could be wrong. We should all get home quickly, that we should. We don't know what is going on and I would rather not get involved in something that we shouldn't." Kenshin said as he turned and started back down the road at a quick pace, his friends following close behind.

They moved quickly into the city and were making their way through downtown when the a loud ringing sound could be heard.

"That's the fire bell!" Kaoru said nervously as they moved quickly through the deserted streets.

This whole situation was making Naruto feel edgy, and Hinata wasn't faring much better. The fire bell sounded too much like the civilian evacuation signal in Konoha for either of them to stay relaxed. With a shared look, Naruto quickly signaled her to go scout the area. Hinata gave a slight nod before she quietly dropped to the back of the group and then quickly jumped up onto a nearby roof to so she could use her byakugan without being seen.

Sano was a bit startled a short time later when Hinata suddenly appeared between himself and Kenshin as the two men walked at the head of the group. She had an air of seriousness about her as Naruto jogged up to them as well.

"Kenshin-sensei, I did a quick check of the area." She said, keeping her voice low. "There is no fire….but the Akabeko has been destroyed."

Kenshin and Sano shared a look. "The Akabeko?" Kenshin asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes sensei. I-I recognized the shops around it. It could only be the Akabeko." Hinata replied.

Naruto let out an angry growl. "Bastards! Who the do something like that?!"

"Kenshin?" Kaoru called as she hurried to catch up. "What's going on?"

Suddenly a shrill whistle could be heard as the sound of running footsteps approached. "MAKE WAY!" Yelled a man's voice as a large group of men in blue uniforms came racing down an adjoining street. As they turned onto the next street, passing Kenshin and his group in doing so, one of the men broke away from the group for a moment.

Recognising the man as he jogged over, Kenshin stepped forward to meet him. "Chief Uramura, can you tell me what's going on?" He asked.

"Someone has fired a cannon at the city from Mount Ueno. The Akabeko took a direct hit and was destroyed, you need to get your people out of the streets, it's not safe." The police chief replied quickly, shocking the group with his words. "We're headed there now to try and catch whoever is doing this before they fire again." He said as he turned and quickly ran off after his men.

Tae was trembling, her hands covering her mouth. "Oh no…" She said as she turned large frightened eyes towards Kaoru, who was just as shocked.

Kenshin turned steely eyes towards Sano, communicating without words that they too were going to go and help the police. He turned quickly to address Kaoru, his voice stern and full of urgency. "Take Tae-dono and Tsubame-dono to the Akabeko to see if anything can be done. We are going to offer the chief our aide."

Kaoru nodded as she watched him turn to leave. "Alright, just be careful."

"Don't worry missy." Sano replied for him. "With us and the police everything will be fine."

Kenshin took off at a quick pace down the street following the path the police had been headed in. Naruto and Hinata were hot on his heels with Sano only a couple paces behind them. Yahiko, the slowest of the group was a bit farther back, running hard to try and keep up with Sano.

Naruto was growing more frustrated with every twist and turn they took through the city. His temper finally snapping when they turned yet again. "DAMIT! Why are we staying on the street?! The roof tops would be faster!"

Kenshin eyed him as he ran. "Sano and Yahiko can't get up there as easily as we can and they wouldn't be able to make the jumps between buildings, that they would not."

Naruto growled low in his frustration. "Why can't they just meet us there then?!"

"It's alright, take them ahead Kenshin, we'll catch up." Sano said, having heard the conversation. "We are almost out of the city anyway, so we won't be far behind."

Kenshin looked over his shoulder at Sano as he gave a nod. "Alright, just don't take too long." He said as he turned back around. Pouring more power into his legs. As he approached another turn in the road he ran straight for the one story building and leapt up, gracefully landing on the lower part of the roof, Naruto and Hinata landing next to him. The three took off across the roof and out of Sano's sight.

"DAMIT! Where are they going?!" Yahiko growled out in frustration as he ran behind Sano.

"They took a shortcut." Sano replied over his shoulder.

"What! Oh come on!" Yahiko exclaimed.

* * *

It only took them a couple of minutes to reach the base of Mount Ueno. As they leapt down from the last roof Kenshin scanned the area quickly as he lead them to the shelter of a large tree. "Sano and Yahiko will be here shortly. Hinata-dono, can you check the area?" He asked.

Hinata gave a nod as she replied. "Yes sensei." With a quick leap she was up and out of sight in the tree.

A couple of minutes later she leapt back down. Looking up at Kenshin she gave her report. "T-there is a shrine up at the top of the hill here." She said as she motioned towards Mount Ueno. "The uniformed men from before are all up there surrounding a large tree that has been knocked over. I didn't see anyone else up there except for them."

"Damnit! That means they got away already!" Naruto growled as he frowned in his annoyance.

Kenshin looked up towards the shrine, his expression serious. "Yes, but that doesn't mean that they didn't leave any clues behind. We should still go up and see if there is anything we can do to help, that we should." He said.

Just as they were preparing to climb the stairs to the shrine Sano and Yahiko caught up.

"See, I told you we would catch up no problem." Sano huffed at Yahiko as he came to a stop at the base of the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah….whatever." Yahiko replied.

Sano glanced around before turning to Kenshin. "So, where is everybody?" He asked.

"Their all up at the shrine, we're headed there now." Kenshin replied as he started up the stairs at a quick pace, everyone else following closely behind.

After a few minutes of climbing they reached the top of the stairs. Naruto and Yahiko were panting heavily. "Those stairs….are torcher!" Naruto whined.

"Wuss, those stairs….were nothing….for a samurai!" Yahiko said, although he secretly agreed with Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. "If they were so easy….then why are you….breathing….as hard as I am?!"

Kenshin looked over his shoulder at them. "That's enough you two. No fooling around right now, do you understand?" He said, scolding the two boys a little. He turned away before they had a chance to argue and moved forward, finding the group of officers and the chief easily.

He walked over to the chief, who was talking to one of his subordinates. "Have you any ideas about what happened here chief?" He asked, gaining the man's attention.

Looking up, the police chief gives Kenshin a brief nod. "A few, although they don't seem to fit." He said as he started walking over to the fallen tree. "There are fresh marks on the trunk and a little gunpowder residue as well. So one would think that the cannon was the cause of the tree being knocked over."

"I looks like they used the tree to absorb the recoil." Kenshin said as he studied the marks in the trunk.

"It does…" The police chief agreed "...but there are no marks from the cannon's pedestal anywhere around here."

"Then it must have been carried here and fired by hand…..which would take someone of enormous strength." Kenshin said as he stood and looked around, noticing that Naruto and Hinata had wandered off a bit and were looking at something on the ground.

"I want to know how they managed to hit the Akabeko from here." Sano said as he looked out over the city. "There is no way to get a good shot at it, it's too far."

"Uh...Ji-san?" Naruto said as he looked up from what he was looking at. "Did you say it was being carried?" He asked.

"Most likely, why?" Kenshin asked as he moved towards the two shinobi.

"Well then, we found where that guy was standing!" He said excitedly as he pointed to the ground where two large footprints were indented in the ground in front of the base of the tree.

Kenshin crouched down and inspected the prints, the police chief and Sano right there with him. Both prints were dug deep into the soil, the ridge pattern of the woven sandals were clearly evident as well. "Good work." Kenshin said as he looked up at the two young shinobi. "Hinata, is there anyway for you to find out where they went?" He asked curiously.

The police chief raised his eyebrows at this, after all, he had his men looking for clues and no one had yet reported being able to find a trace of who did this. Then again, these two did find the footprints that they had overlooked.

Hinata looked nervously up at Kenshin for a moment before standing and looking around a bit. She paid special attention to what type of shoes the police officers were wearing. ' _Well, they are wearing boots….and this person was wearing sandals of some type….and he is carrying something extremely heavy as well…._ ' She thought to herself as she inspected the area.

She looked back up at Kenshin, who was waiting patiently for her to reply. "I-I can try sensei, but….umm…" She said as she glanced at the police chief quickly. "...my eyes…."

Kenshin gave a nod of understanding. Turning to the police chief he was about to ask him if they had found any other clues to distract him so Hinata could use her byakugan without being questioned when one of the officers came running over.

"SIR! SIR! We found a note! It's most likely from the person who fired the cannon!" The man said as reached the chief.

The chief quickly took the note and read it. "'Jinchuu'…..any idea what that means Himura-san?"

"They didn't mean 'Tenchuu' did they?" Sano asked curiously as he rubbed the back of his head.

Kenshin took the note from the chief to inspect it himself. "No….I believe that they meant 'Jinchuu'. 'Tenchuu' was a phrase used quite often by the Ishin Shishi during the revolution, it means imparting the justice of heaven with one's own hands."

The chief frowned at this. "If that's the case then…."

The pit of Kenshin's stomach dropped as a knot of dread started to form as he realized the meaning of the note that he held. "'Jinchuu' is a completely different kind of justice. Basically, if heaven spared you then we will bring you to judgement ourselves." He said as he handed back the note to the chief.

The chief adjusted his glasses as his frown deepened. "That doesn't tell me a whole lot. There are countless former samurai that still hold a grudge against the meiji government." He sighed as he turned and started to walk off. "Let me know if you find anything else out Himura-san."

"Of course chief." Kenshin replied to the retreating figure.

"So, do you think it's that big guy that you fought in the war that's behind this then?" Sano asked curiously.

"Maybe, but he's definitely not working alone. There is no way he would be able to get ahold of a cannon without help." Kenshin said as he gazed out over the city.

Moments later Naruto and Hinata came running up. "Kenshin-sensei, I-I found his trail...but it ends where the flagstone path begins on the other side of the shrine." Hinata said as she came to a stop by Kenshin and Sano.

"Yeah, and it looks like there was someone else here too!" Naruto said as he too came to a stop. "There was a second set of footprints, but that guy was wearing boots. I thought it might just be one of the police officers tracks, but Hinata said that this boot print was different than theirs."

Kenshin nodded at them. "Good work. I was thinking that there had to have been more than one person, that I was." He said as he turned and looked across the shrine grounds. "Have either of you seen Yahiko?"

"Yeah, he was helping one of the police officers with something." Naruto said as he waved over in the general direction of the shrine, where there were a few officers left finishing up their inspection of the grounds.

"Aa. Alright, I was wondering where he had disappeared to." Kenshin replied as he spotted Yahiko rounding the end of one of the buildings. "Well, let's go get him and then go get Kaoru-dono. There isn't anything else we can do tonight."

 **AN:** So here we go, time for jinchuu! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! As for my reasons to staying close to cannon, it's because I view the act of Naruto and Hinata joining the group as an addition to the cannon RK storyline, and the events Enishi has planned were planned way in advance for the most part. I would doubt that there is a villain out there who would willingly make drastic changes to the initial steps to a plan because some unknown kids showed up. So, changes will be on a smaller scale as most events are important to the development of the jinchuu plot.

Now for you that may be concerned about whether or not Hinata will be used as just a damsel in distress character, fear not! Hinata is my absolute FAVORITE character in Naruto, I like her even more than Naruto himself! I have plans for her, she WILL have her place in the sun XD lol. But at the same time my aim is for the two of them to grow stronger not only together, but at a more realistic pace. Please remember that this story starts right after Sasuke defects the village (why Naruto was in the hospital for those who may have forgotten) and does not take into account any of the filler arcs at the end of the first series. Naruto and Hinata are 13 year old Genin with the skills and experience that one would expect for a shinobi of that age. They both have different issues to work on and plenty of room for growth. XD


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! Also, there is a **special surprise** at the end of this chapter for you as well! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 10

Kenshin sat quietly on the roof of the dojo, silently watching over the gate to the Kamiya compound. The grey, predawn light was just starting to make the world around him visible. He sighed quietly to himself as he sat there, relief flowing through his veins. The coming dawn ment safety, the likelihood of them being attacked by whoever had set the cannon off the night before dwindling with each minute that passed.

Kenshin looked down into the yard as he heard the soft sound of footsteps, moments later a haggard looking Sanosuke rounded the end of the dojo. He watched as he stopped and looked around. "Is everything alright Sano?" He called down to his friend.

Sano jumped slightly at the sound of Kenshin's voice coming to him from somewhere in the slowly brightening morning. "Where are you?" He asked as he looked around.

"Up here." Kenshin replied as he smirked slightly.

Looking up sano finally spotted him where he sat on the roof. His sheathed sword casually resting against his shoulder. "Stay there, I'm coming up." Sano said as he disappeared from view.

Kenshin watched as a few moments later Sano was pulling himself up to join him on the roof. "What is it Sano?" He asked as he finally settled next to him, huffing a little from the exertion of pulling himself onto the roof.

"I was wondering where you had disappeared too that's all." Sano said as he looked around a bit from his new perch. "I gotta hand it to you though, this is a good spot to keep an eye on the gate from. You can even see up the street a bit from here."

"It is. And the gas lights on this street are not strong enough to light up this part of the roof either." Kenshin said he eyed his friend. He couldn't help but take in Sano's disheveled appearance and tired eyes. "Did you not sleep well? This is an unusually early hour for you, that it is."

Sano let out an amused snort. "I should be asking you the same thing." He said as he turned to him. "Did you spend the whole night up here?"

Kenshin smiled slightly at his friend. "No, just the last couple of hours. I couldn't sleep and was feeling restless. But I think you knew that already."

Sano gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, you caught me. I don't think anyone slept well last night to be honest. I could hear everyone shuffling around their rooms every hour or so. Except Naruto. All I could hear from his room was him snoring!"

Kenshin chuckled at this. "Well don't let that fool you Sano." He said as he looked back towards the gate and the road beyond. "He is probably more on edge that I am."

Sano looked at him quizzically for a moment. "How so? He was sleeping like a log when I checked the house a few minutes ago."

Kenshin grinned a bit at this. "You are forgetting his abilities. Do you really believe that I am the only one standing guard?" He asked as he turned back after giving the street a careful once over.

"Well, I don't see anyone else." Sano said as he looked around from his perch.

Kenshin chuckled slightly as he snapped his fingers and motioned at a small squirrel that poked it's head out of the bushes below.

The squirrel looked up at the two men and cocked it's head to the side for a moment before darting out of the bushes, running full tilt towards the dojo and made a very un-squirrel like leap onto the roof, landing gracefully between the two men.

"Whoa!" Sano exclaimed as he scooched over a bit in surprise. He had never seen a squirrel act like that before. His reaction caused Kenshin to chuckle some more. There was also a very strange sound coming from the squirrel. "I-is that squirrel….laughing at me?" He asked in disbelief.

"That, Sano, is not a squirrel." Kenshin said as he picked up the small animal. "It's one of Naruto's clones disguised as a squirrel." The 'squirrel' agreed wholeheartedly as it nodded it's little head rapidly and gave Sano a grin and a very un-squirrel like thumbs up.

"I'll be damned." Sano said as he looked down at the little animal. "Those clone thingies really _are_ useful. That is one heck of a way to stand guard huh?"

Kenshin nodded at his observation. "It is. It's also good for getting intel. No one would think to suspect a squirrel to be a spy, that they would not." He said as he put the small animal down on the roof again. "He has about a dozen clones running around the perimeter of the compound right now, that's why he is able to sleep." Kenshin watched as the 'squirrel' hopped down off the roof and took off back into the bushes.

Sano gave a low appreciative whistle. "I guess I would be able to sleep too if I was able to do something like that." He agreed. The two men sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Sano started speaking again. "So….do you really think that this whole jinchuu thing is about your past?"

Kenshin sighed as he looked down towards the street. "It's the only thing that makes sense Sano. I did a lot of things as an assassin for the ishin shishi that I'm not proud of, and made a lot of enemies along the way as well." He said as he turned to Sano. "It pains me greatly that this is happening now and putting everyone I care about in danger, but I have come to terms with my past and will deal with whatever happens, that I will."

Sano nodded a bit in understanding. Knowing full well how easy it is for the past to come back to haunt you at the worst possible time. "Well, are you going to tell them then? Missy and Naruto especially?" He asked.

Kenshin sighed at this. "I don't know….I don't want to worry them just in case it really is just me being paranoid." He replied.

Sano scoffed a bit. "They're already worried, everyone is." He said, his voice becoming even more serious. "Kenshin, I don't know why you always try to shoulder everything yourself, you have all of us to help you, you know. Honestly, do you really think if everyone would be better off not knowing that this whole thing might be some of your old enemies from the revolution coming to get you? Everyone would be caught off guard and just look what happened to the Akabeko! If it really is about you they are going to target the places you spend a lot of your time and have friends."

"I know Sano, believe me, I know." He said as he looked up the street again.

Sano growled. "No, I don't think you _do_! Besides the dojo there is Dr. Gensai's clinic and he lives right next to it with his granddaughters and Megumi rents a room from him, I'm sure they have no idea what's going on, and who is there protecting them right now? No one!" He snapped.

Kenshin looked at him, taking in his serious and slightly angry face in the brightening light of predawn. "Sano, I know they need protecting, believe me. I was going to ask you if you would watch over them tonight so that they could be kept safe. I have no idea when or even _if_ anything is going to happen…" He said he words trailing off.

Sano let out a sigh as he rubbed his face with one hand. "Yeah….I figured you would probably ask me, I guess I'm just being a bit of an ass from lack of sleep. I know you care about everyone and worry about their safety." He sighed again as he stretched a bit. "I still think you need to come clean and tell everyone what you think is going on….that way we can at least prepare ourselves if there is trouble..." He said as he stood up and carefully made his way over to the edge of the roof. "...but for now, why don't we go inside and make something to eat? I'm sure that with everyone being as restless as they have been all night that an early breakfast would be a good thing today."

Kenshin smiled a bit at this. Trust Sano to think about food. "Aa, you're probably right. Everyone is going to want a good meal to energize them for the day, that they are." He said as he stood up, took two steps to the edge and gracefully hopped down to the ground, leaving Sano to follow. Neither one of them noticed the little bird quickly fly towards the house.

* * *

Naruto frowned darkly as his clone, after telling him what he had over head, dispelled itself. ' _So Ji-san thinks it's more of his enemies and he doesn't want to tell us?!'_ He thought as he growled to himself. ' _Dammit! Are we so weak that he can't even trust us with this stuff?!'_ He stood up and started pacing, giving his futon a dark look as one of his clones gave a particularly loud snore. With a low growl he looked at his shoji and was sorely tempted to go down to the kitchen and give his uncle a piece of his mind. Taking a deep breath he turned and continued his pacing. After a couple more turns along the length of his room he eyed the panel leading to the center hall. ' _Maybe I should talk to Hinata first, she's smart, maybe she will know what to do about this...'_ With that thought in mind he cracked open the panel to the hall and poked his head out. Finding the hall empty he quietly slipped out of his room, noiselessly closing the panel behind himself and hurried down the hall. Once he reached the entry to HInata's room, he glanced over his shoulder before quietly sliding the panel open and letting himself in.

* * *

The soft glow of a lamp illuminated her room as Hinata sat on her futon, her eyes closed as she breathed deep and concentrated. She slowly raised her hands, facing them together and called up her chakra. Carefully funneling the power into her hands she started the technique. ' _Concentrate…_ ' She thought as her hands started to glow a very soft blue color. ' _Concentrate…_ ' The blue surrounding her hands intensified a bit. ' _A bit more…_ ' Suddenly a breeze ruffled her hair as the power between her hands intensified. With a small satisfied smile she carefully cut her chakra to her hands, canceling the technique. ' _There...I think I am about ready to try it next time we spar. I just hope it will actually work the way the scroll says it will…._ ' She thought as she picked up her training scroll, carefully going over the steps again. She was so engrossed in her studying that she didn't hear his approach and jumped slightly as Naruto let himself into her room.

"N-Naruto-kun….is everything ok?" She asked in a hushed tone, her concern evident in her voice as she set down the training scroll she had been reading. Naruto wasn't one to just let himself into her room, he usually knocked first or at least called out to her through the panel before poking his head in to talk. The dark frown on his face made her stomach twist.

"No, not really." He said in a loud whisper as he moved into the room and plopped down next to Hinata on the floor. "I had a bunch of clones henged as animals patrolling the yard...and one of them over heard Ji-san and Sano talking." He growled out, his anger returning as he talked. "JI-san thinks that the whole cannon thing was done by some of his old enemies from the revolution that he fought in coming back to get him, and he doesn't want to tell us because he doesn't want us to _worry_." He scoffed a bit at that.

Hinata frowned at this. "But everyone is already worried…." She said quietly.

Naruto gave a derisive snort. "I know. Sano told him the same thing too." He said as he fidgeted. "I want to give him a piece of my mind, but I'm supposed to be working on my temper so I can train with pervy sage, and I just…..grrrrr!" He said in frustration as he tried to rein in his temper as it flared again. "Are we that weak and useless?!" He asked in a loud whisper as he flailed his arms for emphasis. "I mean, come on! We can protect ourselves, and even if they're strong, there is a whole bunch of us! I mean what if these guys do what that last one did and kidnap you or Kaoru-sensei or something to get him to fight?! If he doesn't tell us what's going on then how are we supposed to prepare for it?!"

"W-well…." Hinata began as she fidgeted a bit. "...maybe you should confront him about this. I-I mean this _is_ important, and someone could get hurt or worse if we don't have any information or anything…."

Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself as he took in her words. "Yeah, you're right. I just gotta keep from getting too pissed off about it though…." He said as he began to rub the back of his head, losing himself in thought. After a moment he let out a sigh and stood up. "Well, I guess I should talk to him now about it." He said as he moved to the panel to the hall. He looked over his shoulder as he reached for the small handle. "Do...you want to come with me?" He asked.

Hinata looked up at him and gave a small nod of her head. "Yes." She said as she stood up, adjusting her kimono a bit in the process. The two young shinobi then silently slipped from her room.

L_L

Kenshin stood at the stove absentmindedly watching the soup simmer. ' _Would I be putting everyone in more danger if I keep this from them?'_ He wondered. The sound of the shoji to the dining room sliding open had him turning to see who was up.

"Good morning, you two are up early!" He said, the cheerful tone of his voice sounding fake even to his own ears.

Naruto frowned darkly up at his uncle. "Cut the crap Ji-san...I...I mean...my clone heard you and Sano talking." He growled. "So I know you think last night was caused by some old enemy of yours or something, but what I don't understand is why you think it's ok not to tell us?!"

Kenshin sighed as he looked down at the angry face of his nephew. "Naruto I…"

"NO! Don't lie to me!" Naruto growled. "Don't tell me you didn't want anyone to worry! Do you think everyone would be all antsy like they are if they weren't already worried?! Do you think I would waste chakra keeping a steady supply of clones standing guard all night if I didn't think there was a need for it?! Even _I_ can tell something is about to happen, and I am the last one to pick up on this kinda stuff!" He said, his voice steadily rising and his hands waving around emphasising just how upset he was with all this. "So what is it? Why would you lie to us? Are we all just too weak to be of any help or something?! Don't you trust us to do our best to protect each other?!"

"No...that's not it. I was just hoping that…..well, that I was wrong. It's true, I don't want any of you to worry, especially about me. I just wanted to keep everyone out of harm's way, to protect everyone from this somehow…." He said, his voice trailing off at the end. He knew full well that his reasoning was faulty, some might say even foolish, but they were all precious to him and he wanted to shield them as best he could.

Naruto turned away slightly with an angry growl. What could he say to that? Hadn't he felt similar thing for his own friends and teammates? But hadn't he also learned the importance of teamwork as well? "Ji-san...we are all a family here...aren't we?" He asked quietly.

"Yes...we are all a family, that we are." Kenshin replied, his voice going soft as well.

Naruto turned back to his uncle, his eyes burning with determination. "And families are honest with each other, and stick together, and protect each other right? Through thick and thin and all that? So we should be working together to keep each other safe, but to do that you _need_ to be honest with us and trust us to be there for you and help you, just like you want us to be honest with you, and trust _you_ to be there to help us when we need it! You say you want to keep us out of harm's way, but if you lie to us, if you don't tell us what's going on, how are we supposed to know what's going on so we can even try to do that? But don't you think for a minute that I'm going to let you get killed Ji-san! You're my only family, and if you have to fight then fine, but don't think for one minute that I'm going to abandon you or run and hide like a little kid!"

Kenshin's head bowed at Naruto's words, his mind reliving the past. _Kenshin stood panting, the tip of his training sword dipping low as he looked up following his shisho's line of sight. 'What is that?' He wondered as he spotted a small black dot. He watched as slowly the black dot became larger, eventually revealing itself to be a messenger hawk. As he watched the hawk descend a sense of foreboding washed over him as he recognised one of his clan's messenger birds. 'Why is otou-san sending a letter to us today?' He wondered. 'It must be very important if it couldn't wait until next week.' He quickly ran over as the medium sized bird landed on the arm guard of Hiko's outstretched arm. Watching intently as the bird settled and raised its leg to deliver its message._

 _Hiko gently removed the letter from the small leather tube on the bird's leg and offered it a piece of dried meat, which it eagerly accepted as its reward. He then quickly read the message his already serious face darkening as he read the message that had been hastily written._

 _Kenshin impatiently shifted his weight from foot to foot as he looked up at the tall man before him. "What did otou-san have to say shisho?" He asked curiously._

 _Hiko looked down at his apprentice, taking in the nervous air about him. "Kenshin….as you know the war has been underway for quite some time now. The conflict has spread….and Uzu is under attack…"_

" _What! Uzu's under attack!" Kenshin said shocked, panic quickly building inside him. "We have to go back! We have to go help them shisho!" He said as he turned to run to their campsite to get his pack._

 _Hiko's hand shot out and grabbed the back of his kimono, stopping the young boy in his tracks. "And what, exactly, do you think you can do to help?" He asked the now squirming boy in his grasp. "Don't be an idiot, even if we left now it would take us nearly four days to get there and you father asked me to keep you away anyway. He doesn't want you getting caught up in this."_

 _Kenshin stopped his struggling to look up at him. "But shisho, my family….my clan needs me!"_

 _Hiko let out an exasperated sigh. "IDIOT! Your father is trusting you to obey me and stay safe! He doesn't need to be worrying about the heroics and idealisms of his idiotic son in the middle of a fight for the village! A father's duty is to protect his family and that is exactly what he is doing, now trust in him to do that duty as he trusts in you to obey him. You are too young and inexperienced to fight yet. You wouldn't even be a second year student in the academy for crying out loud, what do you think you would accomplish besides getting killed? We don't know the extent of the fighting, or even how many enemies there are. Charging in blindly like that means certain death."_

" _But shisho…." Kenshin said, his voice small and worried._

" _Kenshin, you're here with me to grow strong. Your father has faith in you, why else would he let us know of the attack? Remember what I told you about honesty? Your honesty in a dangerous situation can mean the difference between life and death for both you, your comrades and those precious to you. That is why he sent us this message to warn us. So that we have the information we need to keep ourselves alive. He trusts us to do what is best and stay away while the village fights. He know's you're not ready to fight yet, but if you were, he would trust that you would do your best to protect those precious to you, just as he is protecting those precious to him." He said. Taking in his apprentices forlorn look he sighed. "Just don't be an idiot for the next few days and if we haven't heard anything from your father by the end of the week we will start heading that way so we can try and get some intel on the fight….alright?"_

 _He let out a defeated sigh before he nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, shisho."_

" _Good." Hiko said as he picked up his bokken and swung at Kenshin, catching the boy off guard. "Now let's start again…"_

Kenshin sighed. "I suppose shisho was right about me…." He said quietly as he looked up at the two young shinobi in front of him. He smiled a bit at their confused looks. "I really am an idiotic idealist." He turned and removed the soup from the stove so it could cool slightly. "I should know better by now too." He continued as he moved around the kitchen to gather some dishes. "I should have trusted everyone with the truth and had faith in them to do what's right." Once he had placed the dishes on the table he turned to Naruto once again. "Thank you for reminding this idiot about how important honesty is." He said as he reached out and ruffled the blond boy's hair affectionately. "After all I am surrounded by strong people who will protect those precious to them with everything they've got, that I am."

It was shortly after breakfast when Kenshin told the rest of the group of his suspicions. He was surprised by the fact that everyone seemed more angry that he had kept those thoughts from them than they were worried or scared about a possible attack.

A while later, Kenshin sat on the engawa and listened to the sounds of training coming from the dojo….well to be more precise, the sounds of arguing.

Yahiko growled angrily. "Come on Kaoru! I'm begging you! Please teach me the advanced kata's! I need to be stronger so I can protect everyone!" He shouted.

"NO!" Kaoru barked back. "You're not ready yet! You need more time and training Yahiko! I will NOT teach them to you until you are ready and not a day before!"

"P-please Yahiko-kun, Kaoru-sensei is right. You can't…" Hinata pleaded.

"Shut up! Stay out of my business!" Yahiko snapped.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to her that way!" Naruto barked at him. "There are no shortcuts to becoming strong! So if you want to get stronger then you have to train harder!"

"What would you know?!" Yahiko snapped back. "You got that chakra stuff and can use that stuff to fight, all I have is my bokken!"

"So?! Do you have any idea how hard I trained to even be able to mold chakra let alone learn the basic jutsu's that we had to know to even become genin?! I was the dead last of our class and I failed the graduation exam _three_ times because I couldn't get them right! Hell, I still can't do a regular Bunshin!" Naruto barked back. "And I was the last one on my team to master tree walking and water walking because my chakra control sucks! So if you think that anything short of working yourself to the bone is going to make you stronger than you're _wrong_!"

"Don't lecture me about training! I train all the time!" Yahiko barked back.

"That's enough!" Kaoru shouted. "All of you, one hundred swings now!"

Kenshin stood and made his way over to the open doorway of the dojo and hesitantly poked his head in. "Kaoru-dono...would you like me to assist you with their training today?" He asked.

Kaoru turned and gave him a dark look, her annoyance at Yahiko transferring easily to Kenshin's appearance. "No. I don't need any help keeping these three in line _thank you very much_!" She snapped at him.

Kenshin quickly put up his hands up in a placating manner. "Aa, well then I will leave you too it, that I will." He said as he quickly left to tend to the chores.

The morning passed quickly for Kenshin with the few chores that needed tending to, the sounds of sparing ringing in the air made it feel almost like a normal morning.

Sano, for his part, had left for a few hours right after breakfast to check on Tae and Tsubame and to see what the news around town was. He arrived, as was his nature, shortly before lunch. Skirting the end of the dojo he headed towards the house. He glanced towards the dojo where the sounds of sparing could be heard. ' _Man, missy's got them working extra hard today._ ' He thought as he hopped up onto the engawa. His first stop was going to be the kitchen, because he knew at this time of day if Kenshin wasn't in the yard doing chores he would most likely be prepping lunch.

"You know sometimes you're almost too predictable." Sano said with a wide grin on his face as he poked his head into the kitchen.

Kenshin looked up a bit startled. "Oro?...Oh, it's you Sano. How are Tae-dono and Tsubame-dono doing today?" He asked.

Sano looked at him quizzically for a moment. "Is everything alright? You seem like you're more distracted than normal…." He said as he leaned casually in the doorway.

"I'm fine, I am just thinking that's all." Kenshin replied as he turned back to the stove and removed the rice.

Sano watched him work for a moment, feeling a bit concerned for his friend. It was obvious to him that Kenshin was worried about what maybe about to happen. "Don't worry so much Kenshin. Everything will work out, you'll see." He said which earned him a distracted nod from Kenshin. He sighed a bit at this but knew that he would work it out on his own. "Anyway, the girls are doing fine. They are spending the day working on cleaning up. Tae's father has hired a private group to protect them and Tsubame is going to be staying here for the time being. I guess Missy invited her to stay last night before we picked her up."

Kenshin frowned a bit at this but knew that if the Akabeko had been targeted because of him, if Tsubame was at the dojo it would be easier to keep her out of trouble….even if trouble ended up there. "That's good. I am sure Yahiko will feel better knowing that he can keep an eye on her." He said, a small smirk forming on his face.

Sano chuckled at that. "Yeah, it's so obvious he likes her it's pitiful….too bad he won't man up and admit to it."

"Aa….but don't forget that he is young yet, there is plenty of time for him to figure it out." He replied. ' _At least I hope there is…_ '

"Yeah, well anyway. I heard some interesting news while in town…." He began, catching Kenshin's attention. "...apparently the police are saying that the Akabeko was hit _accidentally_ when a group of dissatisfied samurai were testing out an illegally obtained cannon." He said with a snort.

"I see…."

"Their covering it up is what their doing." He said with disgust. "I wonder how many people will get hurt because of this…."

"I hope that no one gets hurt, that I do." Kenshin replied as he moved around the kitchen to gather the dishes together. "Why don't you go and let Kaoru-dono know lunch is about done. They have been going at it since just after you left this morning. I'm sure they have worked up quite the appetite by now."

Sano looked over his shoulder towards the dojo just as a particularly loud crash was heard. "You want me to interrupt _that_?" He asked. "Do you think I have a death wish or something?"

Kenshin chuckled at this. "I'm sorry Sano, I didn't think Kaoru-dono scared you." He teased.

"Only when she's angry…." He replied as he continued to look towards the dojo.

"Aa….well then I will just have to keep lunch warm until they come out on their own. It would not be polite to eat without them, that it would not." Kenshin said as he discreetly looked at Sano from under his bangs.

Sano turned towards him. "Hold lunch?" He asked quietly, seeming to think for a few moments. "Well, I guess there is no way around it." He said as he straightened. "I just hope she doesn't maime me too bad." He turned and left the kitchen and headed for the dojo.

Kenshin let out a chuckle and shook his head. Leave it to Sano to be motivated by food.

As luck would have it Kaoru had been getting hungry herself and was secretly glad for Sano's interruption. A few minutes later found them all sitting around the table eating. There was tension in the air as they ate, everyone's nerves were on edge, not sure when or if something would happen. At first everyone ate relative silence, only the sound of eating and the occasional request for a refill being heard, but after everyone had some food in them and were starting to relax a bit as they started in on seconds, or in Sano's and Naruto's case thirds, they started to talk quietly amongst themselves.

Naruto sighed, the quiet chatter around the table couldn't dispel his growing anxiety. Sucking in a deep breath he tried to calm himself. After a moment he decided he needed an outlet for his growing nervousness. Setting his bowl down he stood and turned to Hinata, his face serious. "Let's go train some more Hinata." He said, drawing both Hinata's and Kenshin's attention.

Hinata looked up at him and blinked for a moment, having been pulled out of her thoughts. "T-train….? Alright, there is something I would like to try. Do you have something you want to work on?" She asked quietly as she set down her nearly empty bowl and started to rise to her feet.

"You trained very hard with Kaoru-dono this morning and have barely rested, don't you think you are pushing yourself too hard?" Kenshin asked, not giving Naruto a chance to answer Hinata's question. "Both you and Hinata-dono need to rest for a while…."

Naruto growled. "We _have_ rested for a little while and ate too!" He said, his annoyance clearly evident in his voice. "We're used to training a lot more that we do here, right HInata?" He said, looking back at the dark haired girl next to him for confirmation.

Hinata blushed a bit as all eyes turned to her. "N-Naruto-kun is right. We are used to training hard."

Kenshin shifted on his cushion a bit as he studied them. "Well, if it is something you are used to then I supposed it is alright. Just don't over do it though, it is important that everyone is rested...just in case something happens."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry Ji-san, we'll be ready if anything happens." Naruto said as he turned and bolted out the open shoji.

Hinata paused in the doorway and looked back over her shoulder at Yahiko, who was looking down into his half empty rice bowl with a frown.

Giving a quick glance out the shoji, she turned. "U-umm, Yahiko-kun? Would you like to train with us? I-I could really use your help." She asked quietly.

Yahiko looked up and blinked at her. "Uh...yeah, sure." He said as he rose and followed her out.

Kenshin watched Yahiko leave, letting out a sigh as he turned and looked at the table full of dirty dishes. "Well, I should start cleaning up." He said as he set his teacup down and rose from his cushion.

"I'll help you." Kaoru said as she too rose and started gathering dishes. "You don't think that they will over do it, do you?"

"I doubt it." Kenshin said as he filled a tray full of dirty dishes and moved into the kitchen, stopping at the sink and placing the tray next to it. "They are aware of the possibility of something occurring soon and just wish to be ready. I am sure they know their limits." He said as he took a steaming pot of water off of the stove and filled the sink basin.

"Maybe, but Yahiko will push himself too hard." Kaoru said as she tied back her sleeves and tossed Kenshin a towel. "You can dry this time."

Kenshin nodded a bit in understanding. "He may push his limits, but I doubt Hinata and Naruto will let him exhaust himself." He watched as Kaoru turned, placed some bowls in the hot water and began to scrub.

"How can you be so sure?" Kaoru asked. "He was yelling about needing to get stronger this morning, and Naruto wasn't helping any by saying he needs to train harder." She said with an exasperated sigh. "He just doesn't get that he _is_ strong for a kid his age."

"Aa." Kenshin said, agreeing with her as he took a clean bowl from her and started drying it. "He may be strong for a kid his age, but he doesn't see himself a one, that is part of the problem. He feels weak and wishes to protect what is precious to him. Naruto and Hinata-dono understand this as they too have felt that way. This is why they are the best to help him. They will push him and encourage him and help him grow, but as they aren't adults themselves, he won't feel like they are preventing him from becoming stronger when they suggest he stop and rest."

Kaoru contemplated this a bit as she worked. "I guess I'm just worried for him." Handing another bowl to Kenshin to be dried, she continued. "I don't want him to hurt himself...and I don't want him to become obsessed with becoming stronger, you know?" She said.

"I agree with you on that, that I do. But he needs to know his limits as well, and feeling weak and useless will only frustrate him and make matters worse." He replied as he set another dried bowl on the table behind him to be put away.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kaoru agreed quietly.

Silence stretched out between them as they worked. Several minutes later the sound of training could be heard from the dojo as Naruto, Hinata and Yahiko started up a spar. Kaoru looked up and out the shoji towards the dojo and took in the noise. "You know Kenshin….it's been a long time since I have heard the sounds of training coming from the dojo like that without being a part of it myself….."

Kenshin smiled a bit. "It is nice, the sounds of a lively dojo. It makes one think that everything is right in the world, that it does."

* * *

They eyed each other warily as they squared off, it was easy to tell that they had been sparring for quite a while as their breaths were coming out in quick huffs. Naruto's eyes shown with exhilaration. He grinned broadly as his eyes flickered back and forth between Hinata and Yahiko. They were currently taking turns doing a two on one spar to practice fighting multiple opponents and Naruto couldn't be more thrilled. He chuckled as he adjusted his stance a bit, tightening his hold on his bokken as he prepared to dash forward again. His eyes finally settled on his target, he bolted forward, Yahiko and Hinata moving seconds after him to attack. He sped across the dojo, meeting the other two in the center, he swung his bokken with a loud 'HAA' as he attacked Yahiko. Almost as soon as their bokkens crashed together with a loud 'CRACK' he was jumping back and blocking Hinata's attack with another loud 'CRACK' as she came at him from the side.

Hinata slid slightly with the force of the blow but held her ground. As soon as Naruto stepped back to move away from her, freeing her bokken, she too stepped back to steady herself and lunged forward with a side slash which was blocked with a loud 'CRACK' but left him open for Yahiko to come at him from the other side.

Taking the opening in stride, Yahiko leapt forward with a slash and connected with his side. "GOT YOU!" He exclaimed, a triumphant grin splitting his face.

Naruto laughed as he rubbed his side. "Geeze Yahiko, you barely hit hard at all! What were you trying to do, tickle me?" He teased, causing Yahiko to roll his eyes and Hinata to giggle.

"Yeah, _ok_ , if you say so." Yahiko replied, still grinning.

"Alright Hinata, you're next!" Naruto said as he moved back to stand on the opposite side of the dojo from her, Yahiko following behind him.

"A-alright." Hinata replied as she too went to get into position herself. Once she was in her spot she turned to face the boys, but instead of raising her bokken to the start position she lowered the tip to the floor. "U-um…"

"Humm?" Naruto blinked at her. "What's wrong Hinata?" He asked curiously as he too lowered the tip of his bokken.

"W-well...I…" She started, feeling a bit nervous, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. "I wanted to try something…" She finished hesitantly, feeling a bit unsure at the moment.

Naruto perked up at this. "Oh?" He asked curiously. "What do you want to try?"

"Well...I would l-like to try using my taijutsu against kenjutsu and I-I have been studying a clan technique for a while now a-and I want to try it out." Hinata replied shyly.

A grin slowly spread across Naruto's face. "A clan technique?! Alright! What do we gotta do?"

Hinata smiled shyly at his enthusiasm. "W-well...just come attack me." She said as she moved to place her bokken on a nearby rack.

Naruto chuckled excitedly. "Alright! Whenever you're ready Hinata!" He said. Casting a glance over at Yahiko he laughed as he continued. "You ready to get your ass kicked?!"

"Yeah right!" Yahiko scoffed as he settled into position.

Naruto turned, a grin still on his face, and settled into the starting stance. "Well don't say I didn't warn you!" He said.

Hinata tuned out the boy's banter as she slid into the opening stance for the gentle fist. Her active byakugan allowing her to take in everything around her from the partially open doors on both sides of the dojo and the racks of bokkens behind her to the slightly heavy breathing and raised heart rates of the two boys as they settled into their start stances. ' _I can do this...I just need to concentrate._ '

Once they were all settled Hinata gave a slight nod which both boys returned. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then bolted forward. Using her speed she got inside Naruto's guard before he could land a hit and landed a couple of quick chakra laced strikes causing him to stagger back a little.

Yahiko, taking advantage of the fact Hinata was engaging Naruto in battle first, stayed back slightly. As she hopped back he darted forward with a side slash hoping to catcher her in the side.

Hinata ducked low to avoid Yahiko's attack and countered with a leg sweep which caused Yahiko to land on his back with a thud and a loud 'OOF'.

Hinata quickly hopped back several paces and slid into the stance for the new technique. She faced the palms of her hands together at her sides and concentrated as she gathered chakra into her hands. ' _Concentrate…_ ' She watched both boys recover and ready themselves. ' _Concentrate…_ ' She watched them nod quickly to each other and slip into their stances. ' _Concentrate…_.' She watched them as they started to charge towards her. ' _Just a little more..._ ' As they approached she waited until they were almost within striking distance. ' _NOW!_ ' She quickly threw her hands in front of her, turning her palms outward to unleash the built up power between them on the two boys. " **Air Palm**!" She called out as the attack shot forward in a forceful gust of power. The boys, taken by surprise, staggered back and fell, the wave of power sliding them along the polished wood floor of the dojo and out passed the sliding dojo door, which was banging loudly against the side of the dojo from the force of the power hitting it, across the back engawa and landing in the dirt of the courtyard with a pair of soft thuds.

Hinata stood there stunned as the remnants of the technique faded from her hands. ' _I did it…._ ' She thought to herself, barely registering the sounds of running and concerned shouts as Kenshin, Kaoru and Sano came running out of the house. All three adults asking if they were ok and what was going on. Raising her hands slightly she looked down at the palms of her hands, a small smile starting to form. ' _I did it…_ ' The sound of Naruto breaking out into excited laughter went unheard. ' _I really did it!'_ Her smile grew as she continued to look at her hands. She was brought out of her thoughts as Naruto bolted back into the dojo and ran over to her, a little dirty but unhurt, a huge smile on his face.

"HINATA! THAT WAS SOO AWESOME!" He yelled excitedly.

"Naruto-kun….I really did it!" She said as she looked up and locked eyes with him.

"Yeah you did! You gotta show Ji-san!" He said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him out into the courtyard. "JI-SAN! YOU GOTTA SEE WHAT HINATA CAN DO, IT'S AWESOME!" He yelled excitedly.

Yahiko was still sitting in the dirt, propping himself up on his elbows a stunned expression on his face as Naruto dragged Hinata past him. ' _Man….I am_ _never_ _calling her weak again, I really don't want to see what she can do when angry…_.'

* * *

He stood on the balcony watching the two tall men leave with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Are you sure you do not wish to make any changes to the plan Enishi-san?" Gein asked as he too stood and watched the other two walk away.

"I'm sure." He said as he turned cold blue eyes to the masked man at his side. "Right now is my long awaited game of shogi with the Battousai. We will surprise him by hitting him where he would least expect it and then back him into a corner where his world will come down around his ears. I want him to suffer, suffer like he has never suffered before, and then once my men arrive in in a few days we will call checkmate and he will die….one way or another."

Gein made a pleased sound from behind his mask. "Well, I guess having those extra days to plan were beneficial for you Enishi-san."

Enishi gave a low chuckle at this. "I have had the Battousai's demised planned for years Gein-san. The only thing these extra days here have done is shorten the time between the opening move and checkmate." He turned a calculating eye on the masked man at his side. "You will be finished with your preparations as well, won't you?"

Gein laughed. "I have not wasted these extra days, Enishi-san. You will be pleased with the masterpiece that I have been working on. It will be a the crowning piece in our revenge."

He grinned at this. "Good. I look forward to seeing it Gein-san." He said. ' _Soon nee-san, you will get your revenge!_ '

 **Special AN:** So here we go, the battles are about to begin! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! You may be wondering at the way Hinata performed the Air Palm, in the Naruto Shippuden episode 396 (a filler episode) Neji and Hinata perform the Air Palm in this fashion, while during the war they can perform it one handed. The way I am seeing this work is that this form is the initial form, needing both hands to build up enough power/force to effectively blow away an opponent/thrown weapons ect. while having a lower chakra cost and less chakra control. While the cannon version used during the war is the advanced or final form which takes a lot more chakra control and need the higher chakra reserves that would be commonly found in a shinobi of mid chunin level and up to be performed regularly/efficiently. Now, before reading further, I have a special treat for my readers! My muse was in a very silly mood and would not let me get any work done on this chapter without writing this funny little alternative scene and of course I just _have_ to share! I hope you enjoy! XD

 **OMAKE:**

Naruto sighed, the quiet chatter around the table couldn't dispel his growing anxiety. Sucking in a deep breath he tried to calm himself. After a moment he decided he needed an outlet for his growing nervousness. Setting his bowl down he stood and turned to Hinata, his face serious. "Let's go Hinata, I need you." He said, his voice unusually thick and tinged by an unnamed emotion.

The room grew quiet as Hinata blinked up at him, a blush slowly spreading across her face."W-what did you say Na-Naruto-kun?"

His intense blue eyes locked with her startled lavender eyes. "I said I need you Hinata, so let's go." He said, his voice only slightly less emotional.

A choking sound broke the stillness that had overcome the room causing him to look up for a moment. Everyone was staring at him with large eyes filled with disbelief.

Sano glanced down at his tea cup and idly wondered if someone had spiked his tea.

Kaoru was the first to find her voice. "What do...you can't...I...I mean YOU'RE NOT MARRIED YET!"

Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion. "So? What does being married have to do with it? I mean it's not like we haven't been doing it almost everyday since we got here…."

"ORO?!"

"WHAT?!"

Now Sano was SURE someone had spiked his tea…..

Yahiko looked between the two of them. "Wow….really?" He asked amazed.

Naruto turned to look at Yahiko, his confusion growing. "What? It's not like you haven't been doing it with us….." He said which caused Yahiko to sputter and flush bright red.

"ORO?!"

"WHAT!"

' _Yep, definitely spiked'_ Sano thought, raising the cup he gave it a quick sniff. ' _Definitely not with sake though…..wonder what they gave me…?'_

Kenshin regained his composure as Kaoru went to stand. ' _We_ _must_ _be missing something…_.' He thought desperately as he placed a restraining hand on a very red faced Kaoru.

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru growled angrily at him as she tried to remove his hand.

Kenshin ignored her and studied Naruto's confused expression. "Naruto….what is it exactly that you want Hinata-dono to do with you?" He asked.

Naruto turned his attention to his uncle and blinked at him for a moment as he frowned. "I want to go train with her…." He replied as he rubbed at the back of his head.

The soft thud of Hinata hitting the floor along with the relieved sighs of the group were drowned out by Sano's laughter.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 11

Kenshin slipped quietly down the hall of the house as he made his rounds. He dared not make much noise as Tsubame was sleeping and the rest of the house was also resting, although Naruto had insisted on going to bed only after setting two dozen clones out to guard and was fully dressed with his shinobi gear laid out next his futon. Hinata had done the same with her gear and had insisted on going to bed in her training clothes as well. Apparently both young shinobi were in full mission mode at the moment, but he couldn't blame them.

' _It's getting late…_ ' He thought as he slipped through the main room of the house and noted the time on the small, ornate clock. ' _...I can only hope that tonight remains peaceful for everyone._ ' A noise in the kitchen drew his attention as he neared the connecting shoji.

He carefully peeked in before sliding the shoji open. "Kaoru-dono, I didn't know you were still awake."

Kaoru looked up startled from her place by the stove. "Oh! Kenshin, I didn't hear you come in." She said as she turned, a small pot of hot water in her hands. "Would you like some tea? I was having trouble sleeping so I thought a cup or two of tea would help."

Kenshin nodded. "A cup of tea would be nice, thank you Kaoru-dono." He moved into the room and watched her fill the teapot. "It seems you are on edge as well tonight." He said as he took in her training clothes.

Kaoru blushed at this. "Well...it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case. And it's not like these clothes are uncomfortable to sleep in or anything…."

"Aa...well as long as you are comfortable Kaoru-dono…" He said as he looked out into the yard. He furrowed his brows a bit as his instincts stirred to life. ' _Something...or someone is out there…._ ' He thought, his left hand going instinctively to his sword. Moments later a streak of grey came barreling in through the partially open shoji and landed with a soft thud on Kenshin's chest where it proceeded to chatter rapidly with it's little arms flailing around and gesturing towards where it had come from.

Kaoru stared at the little creature with wide eyes. "W-what….?"

"It is one of Naruto's disguised clones." Kenshin said offhandedly as he gently removed the small animal from the front of his kimono and placed it on the ground. "Now Naruto, I can't understand what you are trying to say, please transform into your regular form so you can speak clearly."

The squirrel nodded rapidly as it's little hands made a hand sign and made a sharp squeak. A second later there was a large poof of smoke and Naruto was standing there grabbing at Kenshin again. "There's a man coming up the street and he looks like he is badly hurt! There's blood on the road behind him and everything!" The clone said as he pulled Kenshin towards the shoji. "One of the other clones went to tell the boss so he should be meeting us there!" Just as they reached the shoji there was a loud 'BANG, BANG, BANG' at the gate. Kenshin quickly slid open the shoji and ran for the gate, Kaoru following not far behind him.

Another loud 'BANG, BANG, BANG' range through the yard as Kenshin neared the gate, the sound of running behind him could be heard as Kaoru came around the end of the dojo with Yahiko, Naruto and Hinata not far behind her. Half a dozen of Naruto's clones were on the walls around the gate chattering animatedly as he threw open the bolts and unbarred the gate itself. He quickly opened the gate to find a young dark haired man bleeding heavily leaning against one of the gates support columns. "P-please...you have to help us...the Maekawa dojo is under attack...please.." He said desperation evident. "The police can't help and he's killing them...please.." He begged as he looked up at Kenshin. "...please help…."

Kaoru quickly moved around Kenshin to help the young man. "Here, let me get you inside and take a look at your wounds." She said, her voice thick with worry.

Kenshin watched for a moment as Kaoru was helping the young man before he turned, his expression serious. "Naruto, Hinata I will be going to help the Maekawa dojo I need the two of you to stay…."

"Like hell we'll stay here!" Naruto barked, interrupting him. "If anything you need us to come and help you!"

"NO! Naruto, I need you to stay…"

"N-no Kenshin-sensei. Naruto-kun is right. My byakugan will be able to let us know what is going on before the enemy can spot us, and me and Naruto-kun can help get the injured out while you fight." Hinata said, her voice set with determination.

"Hey! What about me?!" Yahiko growled at the two shinobi. "You're not planning on leaving me behind are you?"

Naruto and Hinata shared a look. "Yahiko-kun...you need to protect Kaoru-sensei and the dojo…"

"WHAT! I want to go too! Don't treat me like I'm weak, I can fight and you know it!" Yahiko barked at her in frustration.

"She's not! It's because you're _strong_ you need to stay here!" Naruto barked back. "Kaoru-sensei is going to be busy fixing this guy up and won't be able to protect the dojo while she does it! She needs your help to keep the dojo, this guy and Tsubame safe!"

Yahiko growled. "But I…."

"They're right Yahiko. We cannot all go and leave the dojo and Kaoru-dono, Tsubame-dono and this young man vulnerable." Kenshin replied as he turned away from them. "I trust that you are strong enough to protect everyone until we return, that I am." He said as started moving forward. "We should be back by morning. Naruto, Hinata, let's go." And with that the three of them took off down the street, running quickly.

They ran, taking to the rooftops soon after leaving the dojo. They were closing in on the Maekawa dojo when Hinata spoke up. "Kenshin-sensei, Sano-sensei and t-two police officers are running in o-our direction. We will be able to intercept them at the next cross roads."

Kenshin glanced over his shoulder at her. "Sano? He was supposed to be guarding the clinic."

"W-well, the police officers that are with him are injured…." She replied.

"Well, let's find out what's going on." Kenshin said as he neared the end of the block that they were running along and jumped back down to the street below, Hinata and Naruto hot on his heels.

It was only a matter of moments before Sano and the two police officers came into sight.

"Kenshin!" Sano called as he spotted them. "Did you hear? The Maekawa dojo is being attacked!"

"I know Sano, what about the Oguni clinic? Is everyone alright there?" Kenshin asked concerned.

"Everyone's fine, they are swamped with injured people from the dojo." He said as he looked down the street towards the dojo.

"E-excuse me...Himura-sensei?" One of the police officers said as he stepped forward. "Please help us! This man is too strong for us, we really need your help!"

"Is chief Uramura at the dojo already?" Kenshin asked the police officer.

"No, the chief has an emergency at home." The other officer replied.

Kenshin's eyes widened in alarm. "Sano! Go take care of the Maekawa dojo, we're going to go help the chief!" He said as he turned and bolted, quickly jumping back up onto the roof tops.

"Ji-san! Why was that dojo being attacked and what's going on with the chief? I thought that these guys were after you!" Naruto asked from behind him.

"It's because they are connected to me Naruto. I visited the Maekawa dojo once with Kaoru-dono when she went there as a guest to teach and I have helped the chief out in the past with things that his officers could not handle." He replied. ' _Who will they strike next? Where will they draw the line? I have never seen a grudge like this...dragging innocent people into the middle for no good reason...will they involve the whole city before they finish?'_

Naruto looked at the back of his uncle as they ran, digesting what he said. ' _So just because they know him they are being attacked…what will these people do to Kaoru-sensei's dojo when the time comes?'_ He wondered. "How much farther Ji-san?"

"We are almost there...Hinata-dono can you see what's going on yet?" Kenshin asked as he dropped to street level.

"I-I see a strangely dressed man standing in the doorway overlooking a small garden over that way…" She said as she pointed in the direction of the chief's house. "I-I see the chief behind him...there is a sword pinning his hand to the floor and behind him there are three people sitting against the wall. One is a police officer, one is a young girl..m-maybe 10 or 11 years old and one is an older woman. The police officer appears hurt..but the other two look a-alright."

"Thank you Hinata-dono…" He said as he looked towards the chief's house. "..I need the two of you to stay out of sight. I will draw that man's attention away from the chief and the others…"

"But Ji-san I can help you fight!" Naruto interrupted.

"No, I alone will draw this man's attention. I need the two of you to get the chief and the others out safely before anyone else gets hurt." He replied looking back at his nephew. "Is that understood?"

Naruto growled low as he turned away a bit. "Fine! But don't think for a minute that we will leave you here and if that guy tries anything funny…." He said as he looked up, his face set, his eyes determined. "...then he's mine."

Kenshin sighed a bit at this. ' _So stubborn...just like you nee-san_.' He thought as he turned. "Just get those people out Naruto...I'll handle the rest." He said over his shoulder as he lept away, running across the neighboring rooftop to drop soundlessly into the garden. He walked carefully along the outer wall of the small garden, keeping to the shadows, until he came to the back engawa of the house. He soundlessly hopped up and moved along, keeping his back to the wall, until he was near the door. He could see the back of a long haired man wearing a long blue kimono that ended in a jagged edge around his ankles. He also had six strange looking spikes curled up and around his shoulders. Kenshin could just make out the conversation going on inside.

"P-please...why...why are you doing this?" The chief asked, his voice thick with pain.

"I'm doing this for revenge….but you should be grateful. I won't let you die alone." Came a silky smooth male voice, it was followed by the chief crying out in pain as a crunching sound could be heard. Followed by a cry of 'Daddy!' from the girl and 'Anata!' from the woman. "I will send your precious family to join you so you won't be lonely in the afterlife."

Kenshin gripped his sword tightly. He needed to wait for an opening...and to give Naruto and Hinata time to get into the house.

X

They slipped carefully along the roofline, keeping to the shadows the best they could. "Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, keeping her voice low. "..this window is o-open."

"Alright! Let's go!" He said in a loud whisper as they moved to climb in through the window. A couple of minutes and a near miss, as Naruto had tripped at the top of the stairs and almost knocked a table and vase over, later they made it to the bottom of the stairs and were crouched just outside the room where everyone was being held. They could hear a man's silky sounding voice as the talked.

" _...your famous battoujutsu Battousai! Shall we see which is stronger? Your sword or my Baika Chuuzen?" The man said as he challenged Kenshin._

Hinata turned slightly. "There is another door to this room just down the hall." She whispered, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, as she pointed to indicate the direction that she was talking about. "I-I will signal you when it's safe and you go to that door...ok?"

Naruto gave her a nod and a thumbs up not trusting his voice to be quiet enough to not draw attention.

Hinata shifted her attention back to the room in question, her byakugan allowing her to see the action without having to stick her head in the partially open doorway.

" _...you have lived a life without honor, yet you still stand here wanting revenge." Kenshin said to the attacker._

Hinata raised her hand slightly as the two continued to talk. She watched as Kenshin adjusted his stance to draw his sword. As the strange man raised his hand for some sort of attack she flicked her wrist, and Naruto bolted soundlessly bast the partially open door way and made his way to the other entrance. Once there Naruto looked back at Hinata waiting for the all clear. After a tense moment she nodded again

They both griped their respective doors and slowly slid them open just enough where they could easily slip in and out quickly.

Once he was done Naruto glanced back at Hinata, waiting for a signal to move.

" _So this is your mysterious power is it?" Kenshin asked as he idle inspected a very small metal arrow._

" _An arrow! But there's no bow!" Exclaimed the police chief._

Hinata listened and waited, anxiously hopping the long haired man would step out into the yard to face Kenshin but as he just stood there in the outer doorway it became obvious that he was not going to leave. Hinata looked up and locked eyes with Naruto, who was waiting with rapidly growing impatiens and gave a small nod, the signal to go ahead.

In a blink Naruto have moved himself to the other side of the open doorway so he could see the woman nearest him. Moving forward slightly he looked farther into the room, taking in the position the chief was in, the back of the attacker and where Kenshin was currently standing before he sat back to focus on the woman who was sitting close to the door and only about a meter from where he sat.. Sliding forward again he reached out to grab at the women's sleeve to get her attention so he could get her out of the room, he froze in place as the attacker started to speak again, his voice louder than before.

"I, Hyouko Otowa, with these assassins tools hidden all over my body will bring down any target!" Hyouko exclaimed as he turned, lifting his left hand to attack. "And I will start with that boy right there if he moves another inch." A sick, amused grin spread across his face. "So this is the little nephew that has come to roost with his dear old uncle. I was wondering how long it would take for you to show yourself, after all I was told that you stuck to your uncle like glue and followed him around like a lost little puppy." He said causing Naruto to growl in annoyance.

"You will not harm him, or anyone else here for that matter!" Kenshin barked. "If you wish to duel me then we can meet wherever you would like, but I will not allow you to harm anymore innocent people!"

Hyouko's grin only grew at this. "And what is the famed Battousai going to do, humm? Even with your god like speed I only need a mere second to shoot off my arrow and kill the boy….and two seconds to get the girl too." He said as he moved his head slightly to catch Hinata in his sights. "Such a strange little thing you are….what is with those eyes, can you even see me?" He let out an amused chuckle. "The two of you seem surprised...did you think I wouldn't be able to feel your KI as weak and pathetic as it is?"

"That's _enough_! You want your revenge so _face me_!" Kenshin barked at him, his anger and annoyance at the assassin growing.

Hyouko chuckled at this. "I think not." He said as he lowered his left and moved over to the chief, roughly pulling out the sword from his hand causing him to scream in pain. "I am not stupid enough to fight you head-on. That is not the way an assassin kills. Unlike a hitokiri, a true assassin outwits his opponent and catches them off guard." He said, his voice taking on an scolding tone as if he was talking to a small child.

Naruto growled, his anger growing. " _COWARD_!"

Hyouko looked over at the blonde boy with a chuckle. "Such a loud bark coming from such a small little puppy!" He said, mocking the young shinobi.

"You're a COWARD! You want revenge against Kenshin-jisan, but you refuse to fight him! You hurt innocent people to get his attention and now what are you going to do? Run away?!" He growled out, his anger rising at the man's mocking tone, he started to rise from his crouched position by the door, his fists clenched.

Hyouko outright laughed at this. "Run away?! Oh no dear boy, I am not running away. I was here just to make a point to the Battousai. When it is time for the jinchuu we will see each other again, and I will get my revenge." He said as he dropped two little cubes into his other hand and tossed them into the small Koi pond that was only about three meters from where Kenshin stood. The cubes instantly started producing a thick fog.

Kenshin took a deep breath before the fog hit him. ' _What is this….'_ He wondered. ' _...is this a poisoned fog?_ '

"Don't worry Battousai….this fog will only paralyze you for a few minutes." He said as he moved quickly past, and was gone.

Hinata sat there, still frozen, staring at the now empty doorway. ' _That man….knew we were here._ ' She thought, still stunned that he was able to pick up on their presence. As she went to stand, something came in range of her byakugan. Her head snapped up and she looked up through the roof. ' _What is…_ ' "Kenshin-sensei! We need to get everyone out now!" She said quickly, her voice filled with urgency as she moved to the younger girl and tried urging her to her feet.

Kenshin's head snapped up at Hinata's voice and he too turned, his body trembling from the poisonous fog, to look to see what she was looking at. Moments later he could sense it too, an incoming attack.

Naruto looked over at her as he moved into the room. "Why? What's.." He said as he started to question her.

"MOVE! EVERYONE OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!" Kenshin barked as he moved as quickly as he could inside and grabbed the large, heavily injured police officer.

Naruto bolted forward, grabbing at the woman as he moved. Once she was up and moving he grabbed the police chiefs good arm and dragged him out into the back garden right behind Hinata and the girl.

Seconds later the house behind them exploded with the force of the impact sending everyone tumbling forward. Naruto and Hinata were the first to recover and gain their feet. They looked at each other for a moment before turning to look as the cloud of dust and smoke behind them.

Hinata quickly re-activated her byakugan and scanned the smoke.

Naruto's fear was growing with every passing second. "Hinata..Ji-san..is..is he..?"

"H-he's fine…" She said cutting his question off as she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't long after that his figure could be seen coming out of the smoke as he supported the weight of the large police officer.

* * *

Sano stared at the rubble that surrounded him as men moved around helping the injured. He couldn't help but think of how much worse it would have been if he hadn't recognized the thin spiral of smoke from the bomb coming out of the strange person like thing that mask man had been in, or what would his battle against Banjin had been like if his hand hadn't finally healed shortly before Kenshin had returned with his nephew. He raised his right hand and looked at it as blood dripped from the broken skin of his knuckles and sighed.

* * *

It was nearly dawn by the time they had gotten the police chief and his officer to the Oguni clinic and settled in the capable hands of Megumi herself. The three of them walked along the street by one of the many canals, lost in their own thoughts as the sun started peeking above the horizon.

Kenshin couldn't help but hear the cries of the chief's family as they sobbed frightened and unsure of why this terrible thing had happened to them.

He sighed heavily as he turned to cross a small bridge. The early morning sun was bright and blinding as he stepped onto the bridge where he froze in his tracks. The silhouette of a man could be seen standing in the center of the bridge. Not recognizing him, he raised his hand to try to block a bit of the light to get a better look.

"Ji-san?" Naruto asked curiously as he too squinted up at the man.

"I don't…." He began, but sucked in a quick breath as a realization hit him. "You're...Enishi!" He took a step back away from the bridge as the air around Enishi seemed to shimmer into the figure of a woman for all of a few seconds. ' _Tomoe…_ ' He thought as he took another step away.

"What's wrong Battousai? Are you afraid of me? Or can you see her too? My beloved nee-san."

Naruto growled and stepped towards the bridge. "I don't know who the hell you are but…"

"Naruto NO!" Kenshin said as he quickly reached out and grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling him back. "I want both of you behind me, NOW!" He barked, his eyes never leaving the white haired man on the bridge.

"K-Kenshin-sensei?" Hinata asked nervously as she stepped back to comply. She had never seen him look so nervous and frightened before.

Naruto frowned up at his uncle. "What the hell Ji-san?! Why do you want me too…"

"NOW!" Kenshin barked at the young shinobi again.

Enishi chuckled at the scene before him. "My my, aren't we protective of these two little pests."

"Enishi...you're behind these attacks aren't you?" Kenshin asked, his fear turning to anger as Enishi just stood on the bridge and chuckled at him. "AREN'T YOU!" He barked.

"How long has it been now…." He continued as if Kenshin hadn't just spoken. "...since I last saw you at the battle of Toshifushimi...eleven years?" He asked idly, enjoying watching the way Kenshin shifted ever so slightly in his growing anxiety. "I bet you didn't even know I was there...but I was. You're probably wondering where I went after the Boshin war….aren't you?" He continued on, talking as if they were having a relaxed conversation like two long lost friends. "I went to Shanghai as I couldn't stand to be in a Japan that _you_ helped create!" He growled, his attitude shifting in the blink of an eye. A second passed before he started to chuckle again. "Although I should thank you I suppose….those years spent alone in a foreign land….drinking from mud puddles….eating whatever I could find lying around...fighting sickness, disease and anyone who tried to kill me for the sport of it. Always one step ahead of death...it made me who I am today! I am the leader of the Shanghai mafia now…" He said as he pulled out an ornate gun and pointed it at Kenshin. "...I control a whole continent of illegal arms. Kujiranami's cannon? Gein's explosives? Hoyouko's assassin's weapons? Banjin's Tekkou? You guessed it! All supplied by me!" He laughed as he watched Kenshin's face darken with anger as he stood protectively in front of the two young teens, who peeked out at him with varying degrees of their own anger. "But of course there is more….how did you like Shishio's warship? It was one of the many I own."

"You gave a weapon like _that_ to a madman?!" Kenshin exclaimed as his anger grew. "He would have thrown all of Japan into another war with that ship if I hadn't…" He said as he stepped forward slightly.

Hinata gave a startled squeak as Enishi fired the gun in his hand causing the ground in front of Kenshin to explode and spray dirt in all directions. "Don't...move…"

"Enishi! This is madness! If you wish to exact revenge on me for Tomoe's death then…"

' **BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG** '

"DON'T YOU **DARE** SPEAK HER NAME!" Enishi barked, his voice thick with anger.

"Enish! I alone am responsible! I alone should answer for her death! Stop dragging innocent people into this!"

"NO! They shall all pay! Everyone you know! Everyone you hold dear shall feel my wrath! This whole _country_ that you made with that bloody sword of yours needs to be destroyed for going on without my sister in it!"

"NO! I will not allow you to slaughter innocent people! I am the one who killed her, so I am the only one who should pay! Even if she would want revenge, Tomoe would never have wanted…" Kenshin stopped as Enishi through his gun at him and hit him upside the head with it.

"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK HER NAME TO ME! YOU WHO KILLED HER HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT SHE WOULD OR WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED!" Enishi roared. "YOU SAY HER NAME ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL TURN THIS CITY INTO A SEA OF FLAMES!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Naruto growled from his place just behind Kenshin. He stood, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails had dug painfully into his palms causing them to bleed. "YOU WOULD…."

"NARUTO STOP!" Kenshin barked, cutting off the blonde's tirade.

Enishi laughed again at this. "Such a little spit fire isn't he?" He asked, his voice once again sounding almost friendly. "Although, I suppose you should be glad that nee-san loved peace so much. That is the _only_ reason that I am keeping my revenge to include only a handful of people you know and the _only_ reason that I have recruited only five men that have a grudge against you to help me. So be thankful Battousai. I could have brought this city down around your ears before you even knew what happened."

"Enishi please, don't do this! I will do whatever it takes to appease you, but don't bring innocent people into this!" Kenshin said, his voice laced with desperation.

Enishi grinned as he adjusted his dark tinted glasses. "Consider today my declaration of war upon you and all those you hold dear Battousai. We will meet in five days at the Kamiya dojo to settle this Jinchuu." He said as he turned to move off. "It's too bad that you decided to bring that boy here. Not only do you have less time to prepare, but your precious nephew is going to pay for your sins along with everyone else." He said as he started to walk away.

"Enishi, please! Tell me what I can do to atone for taking your sister from you! Please tell me what you want from me!" Kenshin said, becoming more and more desperate, wanting to find a way to save his friends and nephew from paying for his sins.

Enishi paused and looked back at him. "There is nothing you can do to change my mind….and as for what I want, it's quite simple. I want you to _suffer_." With that he was gone.

* * *

Kaoru moved into the dining room, carefully setting the tray down. "I don't know why they aren't back yet." She said as she set out the tea.

Eh, I wouldn't worry too much. Kenshin's strong and he has Hinata and Naruto to back him up if he gets into a pinch." Sano said as he reached for a cup.

"You're acting awfully blase about this." Megumi said as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you think you are putting too much faith into those two kids? I know you said that they are shinobi and not to worry but what kind of fighting experience do you really think they have? Not to mention that if something happened to Ken-san…."

"Kaoru-san! Kaoru-san!" Tsubame called as she ran across the yard. "They're back! They're coming up the street now!" She said as she skidded to a halt by the engawa outside the open dining room shoji.

Everyone quickly rose and rushed out of the house to the gate. Kaoru rounded the end of the dojo just as the gate opened and a thunderous looking Naruto bolted into the complex and made a beeline for the dojo.

"Naruto what…" Kaoru called, trying to catch his attention but was only met with sound of him slamming the dojo's wooden door shut.

She turned back to the gate as Hinata stepped in through the gate. She had a stressed look about her and was wringing her hands in her anxiety. She was followed closely by Kenshin who kept his head down and his features mostly hidden by his bangs. Kaoru sucked in a breath at the look on his face. His features were pulled with strain and he had a look of exhaustion about him that she was not used to seeing in the rurouni. But it was his eyes that made her heart nearly stop. His eyes were hollow and he looked like he was miles away. "Kenshin…" She said quietly as he passed near where she was standing. "...are you alright? Would you like something to eat or do you just want to rest for a while?" She asked, her heart clenching at how haunted he looked.

He turned his head slightly towards her. "I...am fine." He answered quietly. "I just wish to rest, that I do." He said as he moved off to the house.

Kaoru turned to Hinata, who was still standing in the courtyard looking torn as to what to do. "Hinata...what happened? What made Kenshin look like that...I've never seen him so..so...I don't know…"

Hinata's eyes darted between where Kenshin had disappeared to and the dojo where Naruto had run too before settling on Kaoru. "W-well, we met the one behind the Jinchuu on our way home. H-he has declared war on Kenshin-sensei and they will be here in five days to fight." She said causing Kaoru's eyes to widen. "The man, h-his name is Enishi, want's Kenshin-sensei to suffer and..he wants to take his vengeance out on everyone he is close to because he lost his sister to Kenshin-sensei. He wouldn't tell us more though. Naruto tried talking to him to get more details on our walk home b-but he wouldn't tell us anything." She said, the worry evident in her voice.

Kaoru looked towards the house. ' _Kenshin…_ ' She sighed, knowing that there would be no answers until he was ready to talk. "Thank you Hinata. I made some breakfast so why don't you go get some food for yourself and bring some to Naruto too, I'm sure he's hungry."

"A-alright." Hinata said as she moved away towards the house herself. Several minutes later she was moving quietly back towards the dojo balancing a tray with a plate of some mal-formed onigiri and two cups of tea on it. She carefully slid open the door and entered the dim interior of the dojo. Once inside, she slid the door closed and scanned the interior, finding Naruto sitting in the corner, his head back, eyes closed and his arms hanging limply over his bent knees. "Naruto-kun, I-I brought something to eat. Kaoru-sensei made tea and onigiri…" She said quietly as she approached.

Naruto cracked open his eyes and looked up at her, his own exhaustion becoming more apparent as his anger and frustration faded. "Thanks but I'm not hungry." He replied as he closed his eyes again.

Hinata set down the tray, careful not to spill the tea, before she moved and kneeled next to him. "P-please Naruto-kun...it's been a long night, you need to eat something and get some sleep."

He sighed as he opened his eyes again, turning slightly he looked at her. "Am I crazy to think there is more to this Enishi guy than Ji-san will tell us?" He asked.

Hinata looked down for a moment before replying. "N-no...Kenshin-sensei seemed very upset to see him. It was almost like he was looking at someone who was supposed have died long ago….or something." Hinata replied, her voice thoughtful. "D-did you see his eyes…." She asked.

"Yeah….they remind me of Gaara's when he went to fight bushy brows." He said as he looked away thoughtfully. "He's...not right in the head or something."

"Y-yeah." She agreed. "That makes him even more dangerous too." She said as she shifted a bit. "There is no way to reason with a mad man…."

He sighed as he closed his eyes once again. "No there's not." He agreed quietly. "But we have to figure out a way to keep everyone safe Hinata….I don't want anyone to die...I don't want..." His voice cracked as strong emotions started flowing through him again. "...to lose the only family I've ever known."

Hinata reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm, drawing his attention to her once again. She looked him in the eyes and mustered all the confidence she could. "W-we'll find a way Naruto-kun. We'll keep everyone alive and find a way to defeat this Enishi person."

Naruto blinked at her for a moment before giving her a small smile. "Yeah we will." He said. "Together we can find a way...right Hinata?" He said as he gently placed his hand on top of hers.

Hinata blushed at the contact, but smiled back. "Y-yes."

"Good." He replied as he sat up a little straighter. "Well, we can't beat this guys ass if we don't eat, right? So let's see just how bad Kaoru-sensei's cooking is." He said as he leaned forward and reached for the tray of food.

* * *

Kenshin sat bolt upright, his heart thundering in his ears, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "NO!" He cried out as his bleary eyes took in his surroundings. ' _I-I'm in...my room..at the dojo._ ' He thought as the worked to get himself calmed. ' _It was just a dream..no...a nightmare._ ' He thought as he slowly moved to stand. ' _I wonder how long I slept_ …' He sighed as he adjusted his clothes and moved to pick up his sakabato from its stand. As he reached for his sword he noticed the olive green book sitting next to the swords stand. ' _Nee-san….I have failed so many people that were precious to me…'_ He thought as he reached for the book instead. He held it carefully in his hands, his fingers gently rubbing the well worn cover. ' _Always keeping them at a distance, afraid that my bloody past will taint them too…but they are still not safe are they? So, what are you trying to tell me nee-san? Is it finally time to tell them the truth? I know you would want him to know at least...I just hope Jiraiya-dono will not be too upset with me._ ' He carefully tucked the book away in his kimono before reaching once again for his sword. Once his sword was in place he quietly left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Actual flashbacks will be fairly short. I would rather not spend chapters of my story retelling canon information, so flashbacks will reflect information that is more relevant to the story as a crossover in general. For anyone wanting to know the story of Kenshin and Tomoe I urge you to either buy the manga or watch the OVA. XD

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 12

It didn't take him long to find everyone, all he had to do was follow the sounds of fighting. He couldn't hide his surprise as he slipped quietly into the back of the dojo. "Oro?" He said as he took in the intense sparring session that was currently underway. In the center of the dojo, their backs facing each other, stood Kaoru, Yahiko and Sano. He watched as Hinata and several Naruto's charged in to attack. He was pulled out of his shock by Megumi's voice.

"Ken-san, I hope you are feeling a bit better after your rest?" She said as she moved over to him, her concern evident in her voice.

Kenshin's attention flickered to her for only a moment before returning to the spar. "I am as well as can be expected." He said offhandedly as he seemed to soak in the sounds of life about him. The load 'CRACK CRACK CRACK' of bokken hitting almost seemed to echo within him. "They are training very hard today aren't they?" He asked quietly as he watched them square off again for another go.

Megumi looked at Kenshin for a moment before turning back to watch the spar herself. "They are. Ken-san...your nephew...his abilities…" She said, trying to find the words, her voice sounding hesitant and even a bit fearful.

Kenshin sighed at the hesitant sound of her voice. "Are what make him special. But do not fear him for what he can do Megumi-dono. Although what you see here is only a little of what he is capable of, he has trained since he was young to protect his comrades and those precious to him. Even if the two of you do not see eye to eye, as I believe his is still mistrustful of you for your treatment of Hinata-dono, he will not harm you any more than he would harm Hinata-dono."

"It's not that I fear him really, it's...well, I know Sano said something about them being ninja…"

"No, Megumi-dono they are _shinobi_." Kenshin corrected. "While the term shinobi and ninja are interchangeable for everyone you have ever met like Misao, and even where we come from it is used the same, there is a very profound difference between ninja like Masao-dono and true shinobi like Naruto and Hinata-dono. Please trust me when I say this, do not fear them or for them. Their abilities are where they should be for shinobi of their age….for the most part at least." He let out a quiet chuckle. "Naruto has always been full of surprises from what I have been told. He has a special gift for reaching people, for understanding one's pain that is very special, that it is." He watched as Naruto dove in towards Yahiko, their bokken clashing with a loud 'CRACK'. "He will become a great man one day, just like his father was….but even so, he has a long road ahead of him and his own enemies to face before he gets there."

Megumi looked at him in surprise. "Enemies...but he's just a boy and we're at peace." She replied.

Kenshin smiled a sad smile at this. "Naruto is special as I said before. Even among the shinobi he is special and there are people that covet the power that he holds….but enough of this idle chatter." He said as the spar came to another lull he stepped forward drawing everyone's attention to him.

Kaoru smiled at the sight of him as she walked over to him. "How are you feeling? Better than this morning?" She asked concerned.

Kenshin chuckled at this. "It seems I have gotten everyone worried, that I have. I am alright Kaoru-dono." He said as he reached up to gently brush a stray hair out of her face. ' _These are the people I need to protect now. These friends, my new family...I suppose it is time to try to explain things to them. Is this what you wanted nee-san? For me to open up and trust them with the truth?_ ' He thought as he took in everyone in the dojo as they move towards him, their concern evident in their eyes and voices as they began to pepper him with questions. He quickly placed his hands up in a placating manner. "I am sorry that I have worried everyone, that I am." He said as the tried to calm everyone down a bit. He looked around at all his friends faces before locking eyes with Naruto, who was staring at him with his arms crossed across his chest and an annoyed look on his face. "I..have things I need to explain to everyone as to why this man Enishi is seeking vengeance upon me." He said, his eyes not leaving those of his nephews as he spoke.

Kaoru reached out and touched his arm gently, drawing his attention to her. "How about I make some tea and we will all sit and listen to what you have to say?"

He gave her a gentle smile as he covered her hand with his. "That would be most appreciated Kaoru-dono, that it would."

Twenty minutes later Kenshin watched as Kaoru passed around cups of steaming hot tea and placed a plate of leftover onigiri from that morning on the table. He couldn't help but notice that both Naruto and Hinata turned a bit green around the edges at the sight of them. He waited for another few moments to allow Kaoru to settle upon her cushion. His eyes traveled around the small dining table as his thoughts wandered a bit. With a sigh he pulled out the olive book from his robes and held it lovingly in his hands.

As she settled, Kaoru looked over at him and noticed the book in his hands. "Isn't that the book you keep your sisters picture in?" She asked curiously, drawing everyone's gaze to the book in question.

"It is." He replied, his voice sounding thoughtful. "While the story I have to tell you does not directly involved Kushina-neesan, there are things from my past that I still feel need to be shared...things that may help you to understand a little better...or not." He said as he gently placed the book on the table and slipped the picture out and placed it next to it. "I do not believe any of you have ever seen my nee-san's picture." He said as he gazed down at it. "With the exception of Kaoru-dono, Hinata-dono and Naruto of course." He paused as everyone took a moment to look at the photo of his sister and her husband on their wedding day.

Sano gave a low appreciative whistle as he looked at the photo. While he was normally nervous about things like cameras, he could understand how important this photo was to his friend as well. "She was quite the looker wasn't she?" He said as after a moment. "I see where Naruto gets his looks from too." He said giving the blonde boy next to him a pat on the back. "You look just like your dad!"

Naruto gave a sad smile. "Yeah."

"She is very lovely Ken-san. The two of you look quite a bit alike as well." Megumi said as she too looked at the photo on the table.

"Aa...redheads were very common in the clan that I was born into." Kenshin said as he took a small sip of tea. As he placed the cup down he picked up the book again and turned to Naruto. "Have you ever read this book before Naruto?" He asked showing the book to him.

Naruto's eyes squinted a bit as he looked at the title. "Tales of a gutsy ninja." He read out loud before he looked up. "No Ji-san, I've never read it. What does it have to do with this Enishi guy?" He asked.

"Nothing really, it has more to do with me and what I was going through leading up to when I caused Enishi to suffer his pain." Kenshin replied as he set the book down. "This book was the first book written by Jiraiya-dono…"

"Ero-sennin wrote that!" Naruto exclaimed surprised.

Kenshin chuckled a bit at his reaction. "Yes he did...and no it's not like the others he writes. You would probably like it yourself."

"No way am I reading any of his perverted books!" Naruto barked at him as he eyed it warily like it would jump off the table start chasing him.

Kenshin chuckled even more at this. "It's an adventure story actually. It was your father's favorite book, so much so that they named you after the main character."

Naruto looked up at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. This story is about a ninja who fought to try and find a way to end the cycle of hatred in our world so that everyone could live in peace by using his own power and the guts to never give up." Kenshin watched as Naruto eyed the book with new interest. "It was a gift from nee-san, she sent it along with the photo a few months after they were married when she found out that she was pregnant with you."

He gazed at the book for a moment before continuing. "About two years after shisho and I settled in the mountains just outside of Kyoto the rumors of war became fact and against shisho's wishes I left and joined the Ishin Shishi. For a while I trained with other soldiers and samurai in a small camp in the country but I eventually caught the leaders eye with my skills. Katsura-san was a good man, a strong warrior and treated me with kindness and respect, but I was to use my skills to kill and became a Hitokiri, a man slayer. The work was not difficult for someone with my skills...but it was not easy either. Killing was never something I enjoyed….but I threw myself into my work anyway and earned the title Hitokiri Battousai." He sucked in a deep breath and steeled his resolve, knowing his story was just beginning. "The work of a Hitokiri was hard on my heart but when I received this from nee-san it renewed my purpose and gave me a glimmer of hope. I used to dream of the war ending and going back to live with nee-san and her family….of living in peace with those most precious to me...then came one winter day, a day that I will never forget for as long as I live. The day that I caused Enishi his pain, for you see Enishi...he is my brother-in-law..." The sound of surprised gasps could be heard around him as he steeled his will to continue. "...and this was the day that my wife Tomoe died by my blade."

Kenshin took another sip of tea as everyone around him shifted nervously as they digested this tidbit of information. "Of course this is not where this story truly begins." He said as he set down his cup once again. "This story story starts the winter before. The fifteenth winter of my life and nearly a year from when I started working for Katsura-sama. It begins with the death of one of my targets bodyguards. A young man named Akira, Tomoe's fiance...the man who gave me the first part of my cross shaped scar." He said as he fingered the long scar running parallel to his jaw.

And so Kenshin told them his story of the death of Akira, of how he met Tomoe and about the Ishin Shishi and their flight from Kyoto and their subsequent marriage. As he talked the past seemed come alive again, his mind wandered through those hellish days as if they had only just happened. He let out a soft sigh as he opened his eyes to look at the book again. "It was not long after we arrived at the safe house that Iizuka-san came to check on us, to make sure we had arrived safely. I remember that day clearly, as if it had happened only yesterday….." His eyes closed as he spoke, his mind drifting once again to the past.

 _The mid summer sun beat down on his back as he worked the garden plot outside the small house that they had just moved into. If he looked up he would be able to see Tomoe working on the laundry out behind the house. Just as he was finishing the last row he heard someone call out in greeting._

" _Hello!" Iizuka called as he walked up the short dusty path from the road, a large pack on his back and sugegasa on his head._

 _He straightened up and looked in the direction of the voice, He used his hand to shade his eyes from the late morning sun for a moment. Once he recognized the man approaching the house he started moving forward, meeting him at the edge of the garden. "Good morning Iizuka-san." He said in greeting._

" _Ah! It's good to see you Himura-san!" Iizuka said as he reached the younger man. "It looks like you're settling in well!" He said as he looked around at the freshly tilled garden._

" _Aa...is there something you need? Did you bring news from Katsura-san?" Kenshin asked, as he looked at the older man, his tone serious._

 _Iizuka let out a sigh. "It's always all business with you, huh Himura-san?" He asked, deflating a little form Kenshin's seriousness._

 _Kenshin just looked at him. "Aa."_

" _Why don't you come in Iizuka-san and I will prepare some tea." Tomoe said as she rounded the outside of the house._

 _Iizuka turned and smiled at the young woman as she walked up. "That would be wonderful Tomoe-san! Some tea would do nicely to wash the dust out of my throat!"_

 _Kenshin let out a sigh as he turned to follow them into the house. He was anxious for news on Katsura-sama and the war effort, but knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Iizuka at the moment._

 _It didn't take long for Iizuka to get comfortable by the cold fire pit. He idly watched Tomoe stoke the coals in the small stove to life and set a pot of water on to heat. She had turned and joined them._

" _Do you have news for us Iizuka-san?" She asked politely as she settled herself between the two men._

 _Iizuka sighed. "You're all business too Tomoe-san?" He asked in a rather dejected voice. "I had been hoping that at least one of you would want a more lively conversation." He shifted around and started digging in his pack. "While I don't have any news right now….there is this." He said as he pulled out a small rectangular package that was wrapped in thick, heavy paper. "It came a few days after you left and it's addressed for you." He said as he handed the package to Kenshin. "What I'm curious about it how they knew where to find you and who sent it…"_

 _Kenshin accepted the small package and gave it a quick once over. "I do not know myself Iizuka-san…..maybe shisho sent me something?" He wondered as he inspected the package. He easily recognized his name written clearly in Kanji, the edges were a bit worn as if it had been handled quite a bit but there were no holes in the wrap. Carefully flipping it over his breath caught and his eyes widened at the sight of the small security seal placed over the seam on the underside. 'Nee-san?' With that thought in mind he carefully placed the package down next to him and returned his attention to Iizuka who was watching him curiously._

" _Aren't you going to open it?" Iizuka asked as he eyed the package next to Kenshin._

" _I will later." Kenshin replied, forcing his voice to sound bored._

 _Iizuka and Tomoe both looked at him, both curious as to why he didn't just rip into the package like anyone else would. Kenshin, for his part, had started to drift away. His mind running circles around itself about exactly what could be in the package. He tuned out the quiet conversation between Tomoe and Iizuka as they talked politely to each other, he didn't even notice when Tomoe placed a cup of tea next to him. All he could think about was his sister in that moment. It had been just over a year since he had last heard from her. She had sent him a letter telling him of the war at home, how it seemed to be winding down finally, she had told him of Minato-san's election as the Yondaime Hokage and his marriage proposal and she had told him about their mother's illness and subsequent death. To say he was curious about the contents of the package would be an understatement, but he didn't let his emotions show._

 _To Kenshin it had seemed like only mere moments had passed since Iizuka's arrival that he was standing in his doorway saying farewell to the older man, the package clutched protectively in his hand._

 _Tomoe eyed him curiously as she turned back into the house. "I should make lunch."_

" _Aa…" Kenshin replied, lost in thought as he too turned and moved back into the house, reclaiming his seat upon the cushion by the small, cold hearth, the package placed protectively in his lap. Finally noticing the tea next to him, he picked it up and took a sip, grimacing slightly at the now cold bitter liquid. 'Tea always tastes so much better hot.' He thought as he placed the cup down and turned his attention to the small package. He ran his fingers over it as his mind raced at the possibilities. Careful to keep his head down, he glanced up and watched Tomoe as she worked by the small wood stove at the far end of the small house. Once he was certain she was not paying any attention to him he quickly flipped the package over and formed the earth release seal. With a whispered 'Release' and a small flare of his chakra the seal on the back of the package disappeared and the wrapping loosened. With a quick tug he had the paper off and was holding a small, olive green book. 'Nee-san sent me a book?' He thought as he flipped it over to read the title. '...Tales of A Gutsy Ninja….' A small smile formed on his face, it was so like nee-san to send him something random, she used to do it when he was younger and off training with shisho. His fingers gently caressed the binding of the book, confident that his sister had put great thought and feeling into the gift, even if it seemed kinda silly to him. He glanced up again to make sure Tomoe was still busy before opening the book. His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at what was carefully tucked into the front cover. Almost reverently he fingered the edge of a photo. 'Nee-san…' He thought as tears came to his eyes as he took in the absolutely radiant look upon his sister's face in her wedding finery. A small, happy smile spread across his face as he took in the equally happy look upon Minato's face. 'I'm so happy for you nee-san!' He thought as he continued to look upon the photo. After a long minute of drinking in the sight of his beloved sister, he carefully removed the photo to check and see if she had left him a note. His eyes landed not on a small piece of folded paper, but a small letter written in the book itself and he quickly began to read:_

 _My dearest otouto,_

 _I hope my little gift finds you well! I am sorry that I haven't been able to write to you sooner but there has been a lot going on here in the village. I am sure you will be please to know that the war is finally over here and peace has finally started to settle in. Minato-kun's inauguration was widely celebrated and the civilians even threw a festival in his honor as they are calling him the hero of the war! But don't think this went to his head or anything, he was quite embarrassed by all the praise and kept saying that he was only doing his duty to his village and that he really isn't all that special… I tell you he is too humble for his own good sometimes! As you can see by the photo that I enclosed that we also finally married, and I can assure you that we are both more that happy to finally be able to settle down and start living a more peaceful life here in the village. I am sure you are also wondering why I would send you this book. As I told you in a previous letter Jiraiya-san had been working on a writing a book….I know, I know...why write a book when we are in the middle of a war right? But anyway, this is a finished copy of the book he wrote, and Minato-kun loves it. I will admit that it is a good adventure story, quite surprising really considering how much of a pervert Jiraiya-san is, but he said that he hopped that with this story that he might inspire others to work hard to protect those precious to them while trying to find a way to end this cycle of hatred that we seem to be forever trapped in….and I can't blame him for that. I also have some more news for you! I can hardly believe it myself but we are expecting our first child as well! I am due at the beginning of October and we are praying for a safe birth. I will admit I am a bit afraid as you know what can go wrong for me… but anyway, I wanted to let you know that you will be an uncle come the fall! As for a name for the baby, Minato has his heart set on naming our child after the hero in this book as we are both convinced that it is a boy! I'm not the only one expecting either, many of my friends and Minato's friends are expecting children over the course of this year and this coming winter, even Hiashi and his wife! The village is going to be overflowing with babies by next spring and I find it absolutely wonderful! Please take care of yourself otouto and stay safe!_

 _Love always,_

 _K_

 _Kenshin's hand shook slightly as he stared blankly at the book, his mind having gone numb. Tears streamed unnoticed down his face wetting the front of his kimono. He never heard Tomoe approach._

" _Is everything alright?" Tomoe asked, concern evident in her voice even as her face remained stoic._

 _Kenshin slowly looked up at her, his eyes wide and full of raw emotion. "Everything is fine Tomoe." He said his voice, while quiet, was full of aww._

 _Tomoe glanced down at the book before looking at him again. "Then why are you crying?" She asked, perplexed at how a mere book could do that to him._

 _Kenshin looked up at her as a small, joy filled smile spread across his face. "I'm….going to be an uncle…."_

Kenshin took a deep breath as he opened his eyes again. The room around him was quiet as everyone listened and waited for him to continue. "It didn't take me long to start reading the story. I was so excited and wanted to see for myself why Minato-san had loved it enough to name his child after the hero." A small smile flitted across his face as he looked from the book up at Naruto. There eyes met and for a moment it felt like he was only talking to him. "When I read it I was surprised by the way the story made me feel. I felt hope, I felt my purpose renew...I felt like anything was possible if I worked hard enough for it." He broke eye contact as he looked back down. "In a way, I saw a bit of myself when I was younger in the character as I too was striving to bring peace and equality to those who were suffering and being mistreated." He reached out and gently slid the book across the table towards Naruto. "I also see a lot of myself in you, that I do." He said softly. "Maybe you will find the answers that you need for the struggles that lay ahead of you in here….answers that eluded me."

Naruto carefully picked up the small book and held it close. "A-are you sure Ji-san?" He asked quietly. "This book is important to you isn't it?"

"It is….but I have faith in you Naruto." Kenshin replied quietly. "That book is a dream...a wish really…that Jiraiya-dono had for the world. One that your parents felt in their hearts as well. I am sure your mother would want you to have that book and use it to help inspire you when your world becomes dark."

Naruto's grip on the small book tightened. His chest constricting at the mention of his parents and for the first time he felt like he held a piece of them. "Thank you Ji-san…" He said quietly as tears started to slide down his face. As he closed his eyes he could feel Hinata shifting next to him, her gentle aura offering comfort even as she was too shy to reach out and touch him.

After taking another small sip of tea Kenshin let out a soft sigh. "After Iizuka-san left that day, the next few months went by quietly….." He said as he continued to tell his story. Time slowly ticked by as he recounted the next few months of life in the country, about the vegetables they grew, about the neighbors they had, about how the local children all like to play with him. "Then last time I saw Iizuka-san was three days before new years. He had come to check on me once again, and once again had no news, just a letter. As he left the local children had come out to play so I had tucked it away inside my kimono where it would be safe, fulling intending to read it later. It was some hours later that a strange black haired boy showed up, he was angry and resentful and harsh with the other children. I didn't know what I should do with him, but Tomoe had come out of the house when she had heard all the kimotion the other children had made. He was her brother, Enishi. I was shocked as she had never talked of her family before, but I had left them to talk as the other kids started to disperse and head home. The letter forgotten as I grew suspicious. No one was supposed to know where we were…." Kenshin continued on as he told of Enishi's flight from the house. He told them about Tomoe breaking down and telling him about her family...about the fiance who died in Kyoto. His voice became more strained as he continued on, telling them about Tomoe's flight from the house and the subsequent trap he had been lead into as he had tried to follow her. He told them about the barrier woods and how his senses were taken by each opponent he faced and how, blinded, nearly deaf and with his intuition gone he faced off against the last man and went for a final attack just as Tomoe had tried to stop the fight by getting between them and how his blade cut her down, and how with the last of her fading strength she had cut his face, giving him the the cross shaped scar on his cheek.

Kenshin looked down at his hands as they rested in his lap, his voice had become thick with his grief and regret. "The next few days were a blur...the children would come and want to play, but I would send them home. Afraid I would taint them with the blood on my hands. I had even forgotten about the letter Iizuka-san had given me. When I finally opened it...I felt my world completely shatter. The letter was from Sandaime-dono, informing me of nee-san's death and the great tragedy that had befallen the village. While he did not say outright what had happened, there was no question in my mind why my sister had died, that the burden she carried had killed her. What was worse was I felt like I had failed her too. That I should have gone when I received the book she sent. If only I had been there...maybe I could have helped some how and protected her, protected her child, Minato-san and all those villagers who died fighting to protect the village that night. If only I had gone...and taken Tomoe with me...she would not have died that snowy night by my blade."

Naruto fisted the cloth over his stomach, a pained look upon his face. "I'm sorry Ji-san…" He said his voice thick with emotion.

Megumi looked at Naruto, her temper swelling as she heard his words and saw the pain on his face. "Ken-san! You yourself said how excited your sister was to be having a child, how can you call him a burden and blame him for your her death! You also said that a tragedy had befallen the village that night, how can you say that it was childbirth that caused…"

"Megumi…" Kaoru said cutting her rant off. "...you misunderstand, he isn't blaming Naruto for her death, so please stop yelling at him about it."

Megumi switched her glare to Kaoru. "But he just said that it was the 'burden' that she carried that killed her! What other 'burden' could a pregnant woman be carrying?!"

Kaoru stared sadly down at the table as she spoke. "Kenshin explained parts of it to me when we went to get Naruto...it's not something I can really describe to you as I know I don't have the full story behind it myself."

Megumi's eyes traveled back over to Kenshin. "Well then, will you please explain it to us then Ken-san?"

Silence stretched out for several long moments as Kenshin sat there, head bent down. Even Naruto and Hinata's heads were bent, hiding their emotions from the rest of the room.

Sano eyed the three of them as the silence stretched on before he decided to break it himself. "Why is it that you always seem to be skirting around the edge of something when talking about where you come from?" Sano asked curiously. The fact was Kenshin's secrecy was bugging him for some time now, and it didn't help that apparently Naruto and Hinata and even Kaoru were in on it.

Kenshin looked at his friend for a moment. "Sano….as much as I trust all of you, there are laws that forbid us from revealing details of where we come from. These laws are to protect us from those who would not understand or would seek to exploit our abilities for their own gain. These laws also protect the world around us for the same reasons. We are allowed only to give information on a need to know basis...that is why Kaoru-dono knows as much as she does, and why she has been sworn to secrecy. So please understand, even here I am bound by these laws, that I am. And, unless something happens, there is little I can tell you." He sighed as his eyes traveled over to Megumi. "As for my sister's burden...all I can say is that it is one that has been handed down within my family for three generations now. It started with my great aunt Mito, then my nee-san and now Naruto. It is not my burden to share with you...and if I did without just cause I will be tried and executed for treason."

His friends looked at him shocked. "Treason!" They exclaimed as their eyes traveled from Kenshin to Naruto and back.

"Sano…" Kenshin said as he shifted a bit. "...remember what I told you the night we arrived back?"

Sano's eyes narrowed a bit. "Yeah...you told me that he hadn't been treated well back home...and that he is being hunted." He said which caused Megumi, Yahiko and Tsubame to gasp in shock.

Kenshin's eyes never wavered from Sano's as he continued. "It is because of his burden that he has been mistreated...even feared by the people around him, that he is being hunted and will have to fight for his life when he goes back, and this is also why, even if I was free to tell you what his burden is I would not, not unless I absolutely had too. I will not allow him to suffer anymore for something that was forced upon him the night of his birth. I will not allow the people around him to look at him in fear when all he wishes to do is protect those precious to him and be accepted for who he is."

Sano looked at him and let out a sigh. "I can understand that I guess….I would probably feel the same if I was in your shoes, but…" His eyes flickered over to Naruto and Hinata for a moment before he continued "...does little missy know? It wouldn't be fair to keep something that important from her considering she is expected to marry him when she's older."

Hinata looked up and responded before Kenshin could speak. "I-I know what it is….and I think that the people who fear Naruto-kun for it are truly blind." She said, her voice quiet but firm, her chin up and eyes set and determined. Naruto looked up at her, an awed expression on his face as she continued. "Naruto-kun i-is brave, and kind, and strong. He would never willingly hurt those around him and would fight with all his strength to protect those that he cares for...I...I trust him with my life and I am p-proud to be able to stand by his side."

Naruto stared at her in awed disbelief, his throat constricting as his emotions started to churn within him. Her heartfelt declaration touched something deep within him, to hear her say she was _proud_ to stand by his side was almost too much for him. "H-Hinata…" He choked out, a large grin splitting his face as he pounced and gathered her up in a tight hug, taking her by surprise. "You really are awesome ya'know!"

Hinata let out a surprised squeak at the sudden contact, her face flamed a bright, glowing red. ' _Naruto-kun is..is hugging me!_ ' She thought as she sat there wide eyed and frozen to her spot. Her heart raced, the deafening sound of her blood pounding in her ears was all she could make out as the room went black and she passed out in his armes.

Naruto blinked for a moment having felt her go slack in his arms. "Humm...Hinata?" He asked confused as he sat back and gently pushed her limp form away from him. His eyes widened when he saw she was unconscious. "H-Hinata?!" He cried as he moved to lay her on the floor. "Ji-san, what happened to her?!" He asked as he looked up at Kenshin alarmed, the quietly snickering Kaoru going unnoticed.

The corner of Kenshin's mouth twitched with the effort of keeping a straight face. "Just let her rest for a little while Naruto. She will be alright, that she will." He said, his voice strained with his thinly veiled amusement.

"Oh...alright." Naruto replied as he looked down at the unconscious girl next to him. Without thinking he reached out and gently brushed a few stray hairs out of her face. Realizing what he was doing, in front of everyone else no less, he quickly snached his hand back and his face flamed a bright red causing the snickering in the room to grow in volume.

Kenshin forced a small cough, both to get everyone's attention and to further hide his own amusement. "I believe we got a bit off topic." He said with a sigh as everyone settled down again, the mood once again turning somber. He could feel the weight of his past pressing down upon him once again as the momentary amusement at Naruto's antics slipped away. Solemnly he continued. "The next couple of years after Tomoe's death saw some of the most bloody fighting with the Boshin war being among these. Having lost my wife to my blade and the last of my own kin I threw myself into my role as a Hitokiri with everything that I had. I drowned myself in blood, tirelessly fighting to bring about a new era where people could live in peace, free from fear...and an era where I would no longer have to kill."

He continued on, telling them of the battles he fought, of the people that fell before his blade. Afternoon quickly turned to night as his tail wore on. His past pouring from him like water from a fountain. By the time he finished he felt drained, exhausted, like he hadn't slept in months.

The room was quiet as everyone took in what they had learned. Hinata, who had come around a few minutes after he has started talking again, quietly slipped from the room and into the kitchen. She moved soundlessly around the room, deep in thought as she set a small pot of water on the stove for tea. She jumped and let out a surprised squeak at the sound of a voice right behind her.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, his voice low and a bit subdued. "It's been awhile since you passed out like that."

Hinata turned to look at him. "I-I'm alright. I'm sorry if I worried you." She replied, her cheeks turning pink.

Naruto leaned back against the prep table. "It's alright, as long as you're ok." He said as he waved off her apology.

She studied him for a moment, taking in the faraway look in his eyes and the almost sad expression on his face. "A-are you alright?" She asked quietly.

Naruto's eyes snap up to hers at the question. "Humm? O-Oh...yeah I'm fine!" He replied as he forced a grin on his face. He rubbed at the back of his head as his smile started to slip. "Why wouldn't I be?" He asked causing Hinata to frown slightly at him. He lets out a small, hollow sounding chuckle as his smile slipped further. "I guess I can't hide much from those eyes of yours, huh?" He lets out a long sigh as his smile fully leaves his face and his hand falls back to his side. "It's...just a lot to take in...I guess." He said as he turned his head and looked out the open shoji

into the night. "Got any ideas on how we can beat this guy yet?" He asked quietly

Hinata hung her head a bit and looked at the floor, her hands clenched together in front of her. "N-No...not really." She replied, worry evident in her voice. "According to Kenshin-sensei Tomoe-san had gotten in the way during battle, he didn't know she was there until it was too late….but he also said that Enishi was there when it happened too….Maybe he didn't s-see everything that happened?" She asked a bit hesitantly.

Naruto scoffed a bit at this. "Probably...I doubt he's going to listen to Ji-san about what happened, that would be too easy."

Hinata nodded her head in agreement. "Y-Yeah...the only one he would probably listen too about what happened would be Tomoe-san herself."

"And she's dead." He sighed heavily, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth as he tried desperately to think of something, anything that might help.

They stood there lost in thought, oblivious the the movements of Tsubame and Megumi as they entered the kitchen. Hinata shifted slightly away from the stove as Tsubame came over to remove the now boiling water. ' _How...how can the words of the dead be used to help now when we need it most?_ ' She thought for what felt like the dozenth time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ' _Think...maybe there is a clue in the what Kenshin-sensei told us._ ' As she stood there, taking deep calming breaths, she went over every detail that was told to them about Tomoe and after a moment it hit her. Her eyes snapped open and she jumped forward. "Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed startling everyone that was in the kitchen. "We need to talk to Kenshin-sensei!" Grabbing his arm she starts pulling him from the room in her haste to find Kenshin.

Naruto looks at her completely bewildered with how she's acting. "Wha...o-ok...uhh...why?" He asked, confused as she pulls him into the dining room and towards the center hall of the house.

She stops and turns to him, her expression serious. "W-Well, only Tomoe-san's words will be able to reach Enishi right?" She asks and Naruto nods in agreement with a soft 'yeah'. "Well, Kenshin-sensei said she had a diary, so if he still has it or knows where it is…"

Naruto's eyes widen at her words. "And we give the diary to Enishi and make him read it…"

Hinata smiles at this. "Her words might reach him and he might just call off this whole thing!"

Naruto breaks out in a blinding smile. "You're so awesome Hinata!" He exclaims as he grabs her and gives her a big hug. "You're the smartest girl ever, ya'know!" He quickly releases the now brightly blushing girl and starts dragging her down the hall towards Kenshin's room. "Come on! What are you waiting for?!" He teased as he glanced at her over his shoulder.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Here you go, another chapter to enjoy! Please read and review! XD

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 13

The first hint that Kenshin wasn't going to have a peaceful, introspective evening was the sound of hurried footsteps in the hall. The second hint was when the large wooden panel to his room opened with a bang as his over excited nephew barreled into his room dragging his brightly blushing fiance behind him.

Kenshin gave the two young shinobi a bewildered look. "Naruto wha..?"

"Where is it Ji-san!" Naruto asked, his face was set with determination but his bright blue eyes practically glowed with his excitement.

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked at him, "Where is what?" He asked confused.

Naruto rolled his eyes at him as he huffed. "Tomoe's diary!" He replied, the tone of his voice saying that it should have been obvious what he was asking for.

"Tomoe's….diary?" Kenshin said as if he wasn't sure if he had heard him correctly. "Why...why would you want to know?"

"Well I….we were thinking that since you can't talk any sense into that Enishi guy that the only one who could would probably be Tomoe, but with her being dead and all she wouldn't be able to do it either." Naruto replied, his words coming out fast in his excitement. "So we were in the kitchen trying to think of some way to help and maybe fix this and Hinata thought of the diary! So maybe if he reads it then maybe he will see that he's wrong and then you won't have to fight him!"

It took Kenshin a moment to understand what had been said to him. "I can see why you would think that, and that is a very good idea, that it is. But…" He let out a sigh as he paused. "...I do not have her diary. I left it at the temple where she was buried."

"Oh." Naruto replied, feeling a bit disheartened.

"W-where was she buried? Is it close by?" Hinata asked looking up at him.

Kenshin shook his head at this. "She was buried in a cemetery just outside of Kyoto which is about 365 kilometers away….give or take."

Naruto let out a sigh. "That far huh?" He asked as he absentmindedly rubbed at the back of his head.

"I'm afraid so." Kenshin replied as the sound of movement could be heard in the hall.

"Kenshin…" Kaoru called as she reached his doorway. "..is everything alright?"

"Aa...Naruto and Hinata just had an idea they wanted to pass by me that's all." He replied.

"Oh?" She said curiously as she looked at the two young shinobi, who at the moment looked a bit downtrodden. "Well, the tea's ready, if you want why don't we talk about the idea you had?"

Naruto looked up at Kenshin before shrugging. "I guess." He replied as he turned to leave. "Come on Hinata." He said as he left the room.

Kaoru watched the two walk down the hall at a much more sedate pace then when they had used just a couple minutes prior. "Do you want to explain to me why they look so depressed all of a sudden?" Kaoru asked.

Kenshin let out a tired sigh. ' _I guess it's not time to rest yet_.' He thought as he made to follow them. "Let's have some of that tea Kaoru-dono. " He replied.

Naruto and Hinata reentered the kitchen where almost everyone else was gathered, drinking tea and quietly discussing the upcoming battle.

Sano eyed them curiously as he watched Hinata pour them each a cup of tea. "Why the long faces? You two just bolted out of here all excited about something and now you look like someone kicked your puppy."

Naruto sighed as he took a cup from Hinata and placed it down in front of him on the prep table. "We just had an idea that might help with this whole Enishi thing...but it's not going to work."

Megumi looked between the two young shinobi curiously. "Oh? What was it?"

Naruto sighed again and looked over at Hinata, who looked back at him before talking. "W-well...we were thinking that the only person who could get through t-to Enishi would be Tomoe-san, but with her being dead then we would need her diary."

Naruto nodded. "And then we asked Ji-san if he had it, or knew where it was….and he said it's at the temple where she's buried just outside of Kyoto." He replied, looking over at the doorway as Kaoru and Kenshin entered the room.

Kaoru, having heard them talk about the diary as she had walked through the adjacent room, spoke up. "Well, we could send a message to Misao and have her bring it to us."

"That's all well and good Kaoru, but we only have four more days." Megumi said as she turned to the younger woman. "And you know as well as I do that it takes over a week to get there in one direction."

Naruto looked up at Megumi. "Over a week?" He asked confused. "Ji-san said that it was only about 365 kilometers away….that would only be about three...four days tops." He said as he rubbed at the back of his head.

Everyone looked at Naruto in surprise. Hinata shifted a bit nervously before turning to him. "Na-Naruto...you're thinking if we were to run there, not if we were to travel at a n-normal pace...and I'm sure the terrain is much different as well." She said quietly.

Naruto turned towards her. "Huh…..oh...yeah I guess I wasn't thinking about that." He said, turning a bit sheepish. "I was thinking about how it's not much farther than Su...err….where Gara lives." He said as he chuckled a bit nervously at his near slip up.

"Even if you were to run, it's humanly impossible to get to Kyoto that fast." Megumi said as she looked at the them.

Kenshin shifted a bit as he leaned up against the kitchen wall. "While that is true Megumi-dono, I am sure they know their abilities and limits far better than anyone here does." He sighed as he turned his attention back over to Naruto and Hinata. "There is an abandoned trail that the Oniwabanshu showed me on a map that cuts it down to six days on foot, if you're moving quickly and don't take much in the way of breaks."

"W-what about a messenger hawk?" Hinata asked. She shifted nervously as all eyes turned towards her. "They can usually carry small items l-like a diary..." She could feel her cheeks starting to heat up as everyone stared at her.

Naruto broke out into a smile. "Yeah! You're right Hinata!" He said as he started to chuckle a little. "Geez, I should have thought of that myself!" He turned excited blue eyes towards Kenshin. "So what about that Ji-san? Couldn't we just send a messenger hawk to that friend of yours and have them send it back?"

Kenshin let out a soft sigh. "Naruto…"

"Messenger hawk?" Both Sano and Megumi said at the same time interrupting Kenshin.

"I'm sorry Naruto, there aren't any messenger hawks here…" Kaoru said. "...we just have pigeons…"

"Pigeons! You use pigeons?!" Naruto exclaimed completely shocked. "But they...they're….thats so stupid!"

"Naruto…."

"No!" He barked back, his frustration starting to rise. "I really wish I could just summon a hawk right now and have it…." He trailed off before slamming his hand down on the table causing the cups on it to rattle "THAT'S IT!" He exclaimed excitedly as he turned and bolted from the room.

Everyone stared in at the open shoji that he had just disappeared through, not sure what was going on.

Kenshin was the first to snap out of it a heartbeat later. "Naruto!" He called out as he hurried for the open door way. "That's not a good idea!" He moved swiftly out the open shoji and onto the engawa. His reaction spurring everyone else to move as well.

Naruto paused, his hand half way up to his mouth at his uncle's exclamation. "Huh? Why not?!" He asked as he looked over at him.

"I doubt they'll help." Kenshin replied his tone serious.

Naruto looked at him in confusion for a moment before realizing what his uncle was getting at. He let out an exasperated sigh as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah…" He said before a mischievous grin spread across his face. "But you know what they say, it never hurts to ask!" He said as he quickly bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood and ran quickly through the hand seals. " **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!** " He exclaimed as he slammed his hand onto the ground. Everyone watched as a strange black pattern shot out from under his hand in the dirt of the small courtyard before Naruto was enveloped in a cloud of smoke that appeared with a loud 'poof'.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata called softly as she moved forward, hopping off of the engawa to move the couple of meters to stand near him.

Naruto looked over at her as the smoke started to clear. "It's ok Hinata, there's nothing to worry about!"

"I-it's not that…" She began before being interrupted by a loud voice coming from the smoke.

"Yo Naruto! What's up?" The smoke cleared to reveal an orange toad with blue markings and wearing a blue vest that was about the size of a large dog.

Naruto turned to the orange toad with a large, happy grin on his face. "Hey Gamakichi! It's been awhile!"

Gamakichi let out a short laugh at that. "Yeah it has!" He agreed as he spied Hinata standing close by. "Ho ho! Who's the pretty girl eh Naruto?" He asked, causing Hinata to blush brightly. Leaning in he raised one of his hands up and started to wiggle his 'pinky' finger in Naruto's face. "Is she your girlfriend?!" He mock whispered.

Naruto's face flamed bright red as he started to sputter, causing Gamakichi to start laughing again. "She's...I'm...i-it's…it's not like that ok! W-we're just betrothed a-and…"

"BETROTHED?!" Gamakichi roared with laughter. "Not wasting any time huh? So when's the wedding...next week?!" He teased as he laughed. "You better remember to summon me for it too!"

"G-Gamakichi!" Naruto exclaimed as he flailed his arms around. "I-It's not like that! I swear! It was set up by our parents before we were born!"

"Yeah, yeah...I'm _sure_ it was!" Gamakichi retorted as he wiggled his 'eyebrows' in a suggestive manner causing both young shinobi to blush even darker. He turned his attention to the furiously blushing girl and gave her a playful wink. "You got your hands on a pretty little Hyuga girl and couldn't even be bothered to tell me?" He fake sniffled. "I thought we were friends!" Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the toads antics, even as her own face flamed.

Naruto sputtered, completely embarrassed by Gamakichi teasing. "Gamakichi!" He growled, his face still a bright red. "Will you knock it off!"

Gamakichi sighed. "Fine, fine! So are you going to introduce me to your pretty little girlfriend or not?" He said as he crossed his arms in front of himself.

Naruto frowned at the toad as he folded his arms across his chest as well. "I don't know if I should after they way you've been behaving!" He replied, which caused Hinata to giggle some more at their banter.

The others on the engawa stared at the scene before them with a mixture of disbelief and amazement as they watched the banter between Naruto and his summons.

"I-Is that toad...talking?"

"Aa."

"Whoa….it's huge!"

"It..won't hurt us will it?"

"Where did it even come from?"

Kenshin moved forward and stepped down off of the engawa and moved towards the two shinobi. "Naruto…" He called out gaining their attention.

Naruto looked up at him. "Huh….oh yeah!" He said as he turned back to Gamakichi, who was looking up at Kenshin curiously. "Gamakichi, we need your help with something!"

"Oh? What is it?" Gamakichi asked as he turned back to Naruto. "And who are all those humans?" He asked, pointing over to the group standing on the engawa. "I've never seen them around you before."

"Oh!" Naruto said with a grin and a chuckle. "Their a bunch of new friends of mine, and family too!" He replied excitedly. "I'll introduce you to them in a minute, anyway there's this guy Enishi who's going to attack us for revenge in five days because his sister died and he blames Ji-san for it, but we need to get her diary to show him so that he's wrong but it's in a temple that's too far for us to get there and back in time so I need you to…"

"Whoa, hold on there Naruto!" Gamakichi said interrupting Naruto's rambling. "I'm not a messenger toad, you would need Kosuke, he's the fastest messenger toad we have, but you need pops' permission first too as Kosuke is assigned to help Jiraiya with his intel at the moment."

"Damn it!" Naruto growled. "There is no way I can summon Gamabunta here, he would destroy the whole dojo!"

Gamakichi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this place is tiny!" He said with a laugh. "If you want I can talk to pops for you, but he'll probably want a few barrels of sake at the very least for doing you a favor like this."

Kenshin's eyebrows raised at this. ' _Barrels of sake?'_ He thought.

"Aww, come on!" Naruto groaned. "How am I supposed to get him _barrels_ of sake!"

Gamakichi grinned. "That's not my problem!" He replied. "Why don't you tell me the details of where this shrine is and how far away it is and I'll talk to pops."

Naruto groaned. "Fine." He sighed. "It's at a temple located in a city called Kyoto that's about…"

"Whoa," Gamakichi held up one of his hands "Ky-o-to?" He said sounding out the name of the strange city. "Where exactly is that?"

"If you wouldn't interrupt me I would have already told you!" Naruto grumbled. "Kyoto is located about 365 kilometers from here!"

Gamakichi looked at him for a long moment before sighing. "And _where_ is _here_ exactly?"

Naruto blinked at him for a second. "Huh? Oh, right!" He chuckled. "This is the Kamiya dojo!"

Gamakichi looked at him before letting out a groan and covering his eyes with one of his hands. "And here I thought that you actually sounded like you knew what you were talking about."

"What!" Naruto growled out. "We _are_ at the Kamiya dojo!"

"Na-Naruto...I think he needs to where we a-are geographically." Hinata said, quietly interrupting their conversation.

Naruto turned to her, a confused look on his face. "Geo….what?"

"Thank kami your girlfriend has some brains!" Gamakichi said as he smiled at the shy girl.

"Well, I think that I am the best one to tell you where we are, that I am." Kenshin said as he joined into the conversation. "Gamakichi-dono was it?" He asked, after receiving a nod from the toad he continued. "We are located 365 kilometers east, northeast of Kyoto in the city of Tokyo, Japan."

Gamakichi eyes widened at this. "J-Japan!" He hissed. "There is _no way_ pops is going to let Koskue help! Hell, I'll probably get into trouble if he finds out I was here!" He turned to Naruto. "What in kami's name were you _thinking_ summoning me here! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for me to be here randomly like this?!"

Naruto looked at him confused. "But Gamakichi, you know how to fight so it's not like you can't take care of yourself."

"There's more to it than that you idiot!" Gamakichi growled. "Weren't you told anything before you came here?! I gotta go before I get into trouble, and if you're so worried about that diary, I suggest you go get it yourself!" He said, turning to Hinata he continued. "I hope you can keep my idiot summoner out of trouble! See ya!" He exclaimed with a wave as he poofed away.

"DAMN IT!" Naruto growled out in frustration. "Now how the hell are we supposed to get that diary?!"

Hinata shifted her weight from foot to foot slightly as she thought. "M-maybe we should just go and get it ourselves like he said."

Naruto looked at her incredulously. "It's too far Hinata, we wouldn't get back in time!"

"I k-know, but what else can we do?" She asked. "Asking M-Misao-san to bring it would take even longer…."

Kenshin listened to their conversation a moment longer before an idea hit him. "Well…" He said interrupting the two young shinobi in front of him. "...if we send a message to Misao to retrieve the diary from the temple and then start this way along the old trail that connects Kyoto to Tokyo moving as quickly as possible and the two of you follow the trail from this end it may work." He frowned slightly as the thought, his hand absentmindedly rubbing at the back of his neck. "I need to go and check on one of the maps that I have, but if I remember correctly there is an old shrine about a two day's walk out of Kyoto that, if she hurries, should make a good meeting place, that it would."

Naruto and Hinata looked at Kenshin. "Really?" Naruto spared a quick glance at Hinata before continuing. "Do you really think so?" He asked, feeling a little more hopeful than he did a minute ago.

"Aa." Kenshin replied. The village that the shrine is located near is about two thirds of the way there, give or take."

Naruto's eyes widened at this. "So then, if we travel fast…" He said as a smile started spreading across his face.

"We c-can get there in about two day's ourselves!" Hinata said, finishing Naruto's thought, a determined look spreading across her face. "P-please Kenshin-sensei, we do not have time to lose, I..I know this is something we can do!"

"Yeah! We'll be back just in time too!" Naruto said, his voice full of confidence.

Kenshin studied them for a minute. "Do you truly believe you can be back in time?"

"There is no doubt in my mind!" Naruto replied, his face serious.

"I-It may be close, but we can do it!" Hinata agreed, feeling fully confident about something for the first time in what felt like a long time.

Kenshin looked from one young shinobi to the other before giving a quick nod. "If you believe you can make it, then I will trust you to be quick and bring back the diary."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered enthusiastically. "Don't you worry about a thing Ji-san! We'll be back with that diary and we'll beat those bad guys too, ya'know!" He said as he smiled up at Kenshin, his confidence practically radiated off of him in waves.

Hinata gave a nod in agreement. "R-right!"

"Alright then, go get what you need for the trip while I go get my maps. It will be best if you leave tonight so you can get out of the city quickly." Kenshin said as he turned and moved towards the house.

Kaoru stepped to the edge of the engawa as Kenshin approached the house. "Kenshin, do you really think it's ok to send them so far on their own?" She asked. "I know they can defend themselves and everything, but they aren't familiar with the area at all, what if they get lost?"

Sano eyed Kenshin curiously as he spoke. "Missy's right, this isn't some errand on the other side of town you're sending them on you know." Even Megumi nodded in agreement.

Kenshin smiled slightly at their concern. "I am glad to see that their safety is important to everyone, that I am." He said as he stepped up onto the engawa. "But we must have faith in their skills. The task they are going to do is not particularly hard, but it is very important." He moved quickly into the house with everyone following in behind him. Looking over his shoulder he continued. "Kaoru-dono, why don't you take Megumi and Tsubame into the kitchen and make some food for them. They will need something to eat for their trip." He said as he headed towards the center hall of the house. "Sano, come help me with the maps if you would, and Yahiko, be ready to run the message for Misao to the Aviary." With that said Kenshin disappeared down the hall with Sano following close behind.

Moving into his room, Kenshin quickly lit the lamp he had before going to the small trunk that was in his room. It didn't take long for him to find the map that the Oniwabanshu had given him marking the old Kyoto to Edo trail, it was right with the regional map of Kyoto that he had. Taking both maps, a brush and a pot of ink, and a fresh piece of paper out his trunk the moved to the center of the room and quickly spread them out onto the floor being careful not to spill the ink.

"So what are we looking for?" Sano asked as he settled himself on the floor across from Kenshin.

"The shrine that is located just south of Nagoya in the Aichi Prefecture." He replied as he carefully studied the two maps. "Here." He said as he pointed to a spot on the regional map. Moving his finger he read the type of shrine and paled slightly. "It's an Inari shrine…" He said quietly.

"An Inari shrine huh?" Sano said as he leaned forward to take a look at the map himself.

"Aa...I just hope they don't run into any problems." Kenshin replied quietly as he carefully marked the location of the shrine on the other map.

Sano looked at him quizzically. "What kind of problems can they run into at an Inari shrine? I mean, you don't actually believe in Kitsune do you?" Kenshin's eyes snapped up at this which caught Sano by surprise. "You do…." He said, his surprise evident. He laughed slightly at this revelation. "Out of everything to believe in you actually believe in Kitsune?"

Kenshin looked back down at the maps as he spoke. "There are many thing in this world I believe in Sano, that I do." Turning to the blank paper, he carefully wrote his request to Misao.

Sano scoffed a bit at this. "But Kitsune? Really?" He said as he watched Kenshin work.

"Sano, just leave it alone. I do not doubt your fear of cameras, so do not doubt my belief in Kitsune." He replied as he carefully tested the ink on the map to verify it had dried.

Sano put his hands up. "Alright, alright! I didn't mean anything by it Kenshin. I just thought it was kind of funny that's all."

Kenshin carefully folded up the map and rose. "Be that as it may Sano, we have more important things going on right now." He said as he left the room.

' _Jeez...he's as sensitive about Kitsune as he is about Naruto's burden.'_ Sano thought as he got up and followed Kenshin back into the main room of the house.

Kenshin crossed the room to look into the kitchen. ' _They are not ready yet I guess.'_ He thought as he surveyed the room.

Kaoru looked up from where she was helping Tsubame make onigiri. "That was quick, are they ready to go yet?" She asked as she place the onigiri she had been working on into the bamboo bento box that they were currently working on filling.

"No, they haven't come out yet." He replied eyeing the bento. "Is that all you're giving them?" He asked curiously.

"What, this?" Kaoru asked as she indicated the bento. "No, I have a couple more of these containers we can fill with onigiri. Megumi has another pot of rice and some soup going." She said as she picked up another handful of rice and started shaping it. "I don't have anything to put the soup in for them to take with them, but they can eat before they leave which will help stretch what we are making for them." Placing the onigiri into the bento, she started on another one. "I also have two water containers they can use." She said as she nodded to the other end of the table where two cork topped bamboo containers stood. "That way they don't have to constantly be looking for a stream to get a drink."

"Aa, that is very thoughtful of you Kaoru-dono, that it is." He said as he watched her and Tsubame finish filling the bento they were working on.

"Well, I wish I had more than water and onigiri to give them." Kaoru replied as she wiped her hands on a towel. "But unfortunately I don't even have any dried meat at the moment."

"Do not worry, they will make due." Kenshin replied as turned having heard noise coming from the other end of the house.

Moments later Naruto, followed closely by Hinata, emerged from the hall. They were both still wearing their training clothes from earlier but now had their kunai and shuriken pouches as well. They had their bokkens strapped across their backs and both had a bag with them as well.

"Were all packed and ready to go Ji-san." Naruto said as he walked up.

Kenshin gave him a quick nod. "I see that." He replied. "Kaoru-dono is still working on packing food for the two of you to take with you, and there will be food for you to eat before you leave in a little bit." He said as he moved towards the small dining table. "While they are getting your supplies ready I would like to go over the map with the two of you."

"Alright." Naruto agreed as the three of them settled around the table. Naruto watched intently as Kenshin took out and unfolded a good sized map and turned it towards them.

Once Kenshin was sure that he had both of their attention focused on the map he began explaining where they would be headed and the landmarks that they needed to keep watch for, making sure to indicate their approximate locations on the map as he talked. It took a few minutes before he was satisfied that they had a good grasp of what was going on before he carefully folded up the map again. "Hinata-dono, I want you to take the map. Your eyes are crucial to keeping the two of you on track so you will be in charge of getting the two of you there and back."

Hinata nodded nervously at this. "Y-yes Kenshin-sensei."

"Aw, come on!" Naruto pouted a bit at this. "I can read a map too ya'know!"

"Naruto, I know you can but the trail is old and unused. You need to keep a lookout for trouble, mainly wild animals and the like, while she keeps the two of you on course. There is no time for you two to get lost along the way." Kenshin said calmly. "I expect the two of you to work as partners in this and both do your part to the best of your ability, that I do."

Naruto growled at this. "Alright, fine." He said, not completely happy with what Kenshin had said. He felt like he should be leading their mission to get the diary, although he did get the fact that Hinata's eyes made it easier for them to follow the trail and move fast as they would be most likely moving through the trees and not along the ground.

Hinata shifted on the cushion as she peeked up at Naruto. "Na-Naruto-kun...I...I know you want to take care of the map b-but Kenshin-sensei is right. We are leaving at night and it w-will be hard enough to see as it is." She said, her voice soft and a bit hesitant. "I..I know that I can't do this without you though, so…"

"It's alright Hinata." Naruto said as he turned to her. "I'm not mad or anything...I just, I don't know...wanted to do something important I guess."

"But y-you are doing something important!" She replied. "Your a lot stronger than me! Y-You'll be keeping us safe while all I'm doing is following a trail!"

"Alright you two." Kaoru said as she entered the room carrying a tray with food on it. "Eat up. We'll have the rest of the food packed for your trip in a little bit and you can leave." She said as she set out rice, miso soup and tea out for the two of them. "Unfortunately the only thing that we have to make for you to eat while you're traveling is onigiri."

"It's alright Kaoru-sensei, we like onigiri. Right Hinata?" Naruto replied as he dug in.

"Y-yes. We'll be fine Kaoru-sensei, thank you." Hinata replied as she too dug in.

A half hour later Kenshin watched as Naruto and Hinata left through the main gate of the dojo with Yahiko right behind them going to the Aviary to send the message to Misao.

"Are you sure they will be alright?" Kaoru asked, having watched them leave as well.

"Aa." Kenshin replied. "They are shinobi, they will be fine." He said as he turned and walked back to the house.

* * *

The nearly full moon shone down on the countryside. A gentle breeze moved through the trees, stirring the leaves as it went. The only sign of their passing was a quick blur of color and the rustle of leaves that were out of place even for the gentle breeze.

They had been traveling at a steady pace for a couple of hours. The first hour had taken them across the rooftops of Tokyo and then into the slightly less populated western outskirts of the city. It hadn't been hard for Hinata to find the beginning of the trail. It appeared to be still well used, her guess was by local hunters using it as easy access to the forest. The next couple of hours were a little more tedious for her as she had to both focus on moving quickly through the trees and following the increasingly harder to follow trail on the ground below them.

Hinata slowed slightly as she glanced up to judge the time. After another few minutes of travel she quietly dropped to the forest floor at the foot of a large tree. A moment later Naruto dropped down next to her.

"What is it?" He asked as his gaze traveled around them. "Did you see something?"

Hinata shook her head slightly. "N-No, it's just getting really late." She replied. "We need to stop for the night soon anyway and there is a stream just down the hill here…" She said as she pointed behind them. "...so I th-thought that this would be a good spot to rest until dawn."

Naruto looked up himself briefly to verify that it really was late before letting out a sigh as he took his pack off. "Yeah...I guess we do need to stop for a couple of hours." He said quietly. "Are we making good time?" He asked curiously.

"W-Well, I think we are doing alright. We haven't gotten to the next landmark yet but it w-was well up the trail so I-I'm not worried." She said as she too took off her pack, opened it up and pulled out her container of water. After taking a long drink she carefully closed it and put it back before pulling out the blanket she packed.

While she was doing this Naruto had pulled out his own water and taken a drink before taking off his back weapons pouch and bokken and flopping onto the grass. Hinata looked over at him curiously as he folding his hands behind his head. "Aren't you going to use a blanket?" She asked.

Naruto looked up at her. "Nah, it's been so hot at night lately that I decided I didn't need to bring one." He said before closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze.

Hinata looked at him surprised. "B-But...it's going to be chilly sleeping on the ground out in the woods." She said. "You'll get sick."

Naruto shrugged and chuckled at this. "I'll be fine! It's not the first time I've camped out without using a blanket or tent or anything like that."

She looked at him for a long moment as she weighed his words. "Oh….alright." She replied, a slight frown on her face as she settled next to him, wrapping the blanket around her. "Are we going to take shifts….or do you want to just use a couple of kage bunshin's to keep watch?"

Naruto cracked open his eye and looked up at her as he contemplated this. "Well...we just need to keep an eye out for wild animals right?" He asked thoughtfully, which Hinata confirmed to with a nod. "Then a couple of kage bunshin's should be fine." A moment later he had finished the hand signs and six transformed clones scurried into the brush around them. "There, all set." He said as he settled down again. "They'll wake us just before sunrise too so we can move out when the sun comes up."

"O-Ok...thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she settled back and laid down next to him.

Confused, Naruto turned his head and looked at her, blushing slightly when he realized how close she was. "For what?" He asked.

Hinata looked back at him with a blush of her own. "F-For making sure we have a way to wake up when we need too." She replied. "We've had a long day a-and I'm sure it would be too easy to just sleep in."

"Oh..yeah I didn't think of it that way." He said with a chuckle. "You're right though. I has been a long day." With a barely suppressed yawn he closed his eyes again and turned away. "Good night Hinata."

Hinata smiled softly as she got comfortable. "G-Good night Naruto-kun." She replied as she closed her eyes and let out a soft, contented sigh.

X

Hinata stirred, restlessly she turned over and stretched. ' _Wha…_ ' she thought drowsily as she cracked open her eyes. She could barely make out the branches above her as the swayed in the wind. With a slight shiver she curled into herself. ' _The moons almost down, it will be dawn in a few more hours._ ' She thought as she turned over, trying to get comfortable again. The sound of movement next to her startled her, causing her to look over. Naruto was shifting around restlessly in his sleep causing the grass they were sleeping on to rustle loudly. ' _Is that why I woke up?_ ' She wondered as she watched him twist in his sleep again. A moment later he grumbled incoherently and turned over again. ' _Is he having a nightmare?_ ' She reached out to try and rouse him, the cool night air finding its way under the blanket in the process. ' _It's gotten chilly out._ ' She thought idly.

"Naruto-kun?" She called as she gently shook his arm trying to wake him. He grumbled and swatted at her hand before shifting again. She sucked in a breath at the feel of his icy hand. ' _He's freezing!_ ' She thought worriedly as she sat up and reached for him again. "Naruto-kun!" She said raising her voice a little as she shook him again.

Naruto groaned. "Wha...what?" He asked sleepily as he cracked his eyes open. "Is..is there something wrong?"

Hinata blushed as he looked up at her. "W-well...I woke up and you were tossing and turning in y-your sleep. I thought you might be having a nightmare s-so I woke you up….but your hand, it's cold." Her blush deepened as she scooched over slightly, she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "E-Even your face is cold." She said as a frown formed on her face.

Naruto blushed at the contact. "I-I'm fine...r-really." He stuttered out. Truth be told, it was cooler out than he thought it would be.

Hinata stared at him, her concern evident on her face. "B-But you could get sick sleeping exposed like that with it being chilly out."

Naruto shifted a bit, not sure how to react to her concern besides his usual bravado. "Hinata….I'm fine...really." He replied, his voice softening a bit as he tried to sooth her worry.

The stared at each other for a moment before Hinata seemed to come to a decision. With a slight nod to herself she took a deep, steadying breath before scootching over the last foot as she adjusted the blanket she had around her. With her face flaming bright red and one last glance at his stunned face, she settled down next to him, throwing half of the blanket over him. "H-Here." She said nervously as she carefully turned on her side so that her back was pressed against his side. "W-We c-can sh-share."

Naruto stared at the back of her head completely speechless. His face felt like it was on fire as he processed what she had just done, even as her warmth and her soft girly scent assaulted his senses. He gulped nervously as he tried to form a coherent thought. "A-Are you s-sure?"

Hinata gave a quick nod. "Yes!" She squeaked out. With a quick swallow she stared again. "Y-Yes I-I'm s-sure." She replied, her voice sounding a little more normal. "W-We learned a-about survival s-situations similar to this at the academy….r-remember?"

"Yeah...but Iruka-sensei always used a snowstorm or...or a blizzard when talking about keeping each other w-warm." He replied as he blush deepened even more.

Hinata glanced at him over her shoulder. "W-Well….we are on an important mission for Kenshin-sensei a-and we cannot afford for you to become ill, nor can we afford for you to be overly tired from not s-sleeping well." She replied, trying to be as matter of fact as possible.

Naruto gulped nervously. "I...I guess you're right." He agreed nervously. "You're sure though? You...you don't mind me...well...sleeping with you?"

"N-No." She replied. "I..I don't mind." She took a deep calming breath before continuing. "I trust you, so it's ok...really."

Hesitantly he shifted and turned onto his side, curling himself around her, his face buried in the back of her neck and his arm around her waist. Taking a deep breath he settled himself as best he could, her soft scent slowly soothing his nerves. After a fairly tense moment he chuckled softly, his breath tickling her neck and sending goosebumps racing down her back. "Well, you are nice and warm...I'll give ya that."

She giggled softly. "I-I would hope so." She replied. "G-Good night Naruto-kun." She said quietly.

Naruto smiled softly as his arm around her waist tightened slightly. "Good night Hinata."

It took a few minutes for their breathing to slow and deepen as they slowly relaxed and drifted off to sleep. Unbeknownst to them, one of Naruto's clones disguised as a squirrel was sitting in a nearby tree, giggling and blushing a very un-squirrel like bright red at his boss' position.

AN: A bit of NaruHina fluff for all of you to enjoy! Sorry that it has taken so long to get this chapter out but the last couple chapters just haven't been flowing out as easily at the others. And for those of you who are curious, I do plan to integrate a little Japanese folk lore from time to time in this story, starting with and mainly Kitsune, it just makes sense to me all things considering lol.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Please read and review! XD

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 14

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_ "Misao!"

Misao woke with a start. Grumbling incoherently she rolled over and looked towards her door.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_ "Wake up Misao! I have an urgent assignment for you from Himura-san!"

Misao groaned as she gave the door a dark look. ' _It's the middle of the night!_ ' She thought to herself. "Can't it wait until morning?!" She yelled out.

The shoji to her room slid open revealing the form of Okina, her surrogate grandfather. She squinted her eyes as the light from his lantern blinded her. "No Misao, this cannot wait. Himura-san has sent us a urgent message. Come, I will show you." He said as he turned and walked down the engawa outside her room, leaving the shoji open for her to follow.

With an irritated grumble she crawled out of bed and followed him down to his private sitting room. She was momentarily surprised to see Aoshi sitting there dressed in his casual kimono and hakama, a tea tray and an open letter sat on the small table where he was sitting.

"Aoshi-sama!" She said happily as she entered the room. "I didn't know gramps had gotten you up too!"

Aoshi looked over at her as she settled on the cushion next to him. "I always rise and have tea with Okina-san early in the morning."

" _Morning_?! It's the middle of the night!" Misao grumbled.

Okina sighed at Misao's antics before clearing his throat to get to get her attention. "Misao, this letter arrived via messenger pigeon a little while ago." He said as he slid the letter over to Misao for her to read. "You have two days to retrieve the diary of a Tomoe Himura from the shrine he has named in his letter and bring it to the Inari shrine that is located just south of Nagoya via the old Edo trail. You will be met by his nephew, a young man named Naruto Uzumaki and his betrothed Hinata Hyuga. Unfortunately, you do not have much time to prepare to leave if you are to make the journey in time as he requests that you meet Uzumaki-san at the shrine at sunset tomorrow."

Misao's eyes widened at this. "TWO DAYS?!" She exclaimed shock.

"Misao, calm yourself." Aoshi said as he sipped his tea. "This is an urgent matter, Himura-san would not ask this of you otherwise I am sure."

"Aoshi is correct. If you will finish reading the letter he indicated that this diary is integral to a confrontation with an enemy that he is currently dealing with. Go Misao and prepare to depart. You will be leaving in half an hour. Aoshi has already agreed to accompany you." Okina said as he too took a sip of his tea.

"Of course gramps." Misao said as she handed the letter back as she rose from the cushion. She hurried from the room, torn between being concerned for Himura and all her friends in Tokyo that were dealing with this new enemy and curiosity about Himura's nephew that she had never heard of before.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he swatted wildly, his hand coming in contact with something furry, sending it flying. As he settled back into the haze of sleep again with a contented sigh he could could hear a soft thud and an indignant squeak coming from somewhere near by. Moments later something furry landed square on his face with a loud, angry squeak, startling him. With a surprised yelp he sat bolt upright, trying desperately to pull the angry squirrel off of his face. "What the hell!" He growled out angrily as he finally pried the animal off of his face and tossed it to the grass.

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he took in the sight of his disguised clones sitting in a semi circle by his feet, their high pitched, squeaky laughter putting him in an even darker mood as the squirrel he had just dislodged from his face made a rude gesture and blew a raspberry at him before dispelling, the others following suit.

Naruto gave an annoyed snort. "Kami I hate myself sometimes." He said as he rubbed his face sleepily. The sound of soft giggling had him peeking out between his fingers, a frown still firmly in place. "You think it's funny too, huh?" He grumbled.

Hinata blushed a little at this. "A l-little." She replied, her eyes shining with amusement. "It took them ten minutes to get you up a-and...well...you have always been one for pranks and jokes. I just didn't expect you to not be able to take your o-own is all." She said as she turned back to the map on her lap. She was not about to tell him that it had taken five minutes for her to extricate herself from his grasp _before_ they had started trying to wake him, which the clones had also found hilarious. "W-Why don't you go and wash your face down at the stream? It might help you wake up a bit. I-I already filled our water containers so all we need to do is eat a little and pack up."

"Thanks." He said as he yawned and stretched, causing the blanket on his lap to move and catch his attention. He blushed darkly as he remembered last night when Hinata insisted on sharing her blanket with him because he had foolishly believed he wouldn't need one. He peeked over at her as she studiously studied the map, her own face tinged a pretty shade of pink. "H-Hey….Hinata...about last night…"

Hinata glanced over at him before quickly turning back to the map. "D-Don't worry about it." She replied. "W-We are going to be sharing our lives anyway s-so it's not a big deal." She shifted nervously as she peeked over at him again, her blush intensifying. "I...I would do anything t-to help you Naruto-kun j-just so you know. "

Naruto's blush darkened at this. "T-Thanks Hinata….that...that means a lot." He replied, feeling a little shy. "So...what's the plan for today?" He asked as he indicated the map that was all but forgotten in her lap.

Hinata looked back down at the map, her blush still firmly in place. "W-Well…." She began as she indicated a spot on the map. "This spot here in the mountains is about halfway to the shrine so..I was thinking that if we can get there by late afternoon we could try and catch some fish in the river there for dinner." She said as she looked back up at him. "A-And if we get there earlier we can still catch some fish before moving on a bit farther before stopping for the night."

Naruto nodded in agreement as he looked at the map from his spot next to her. "Sounds good to me!" He said with a grin. "A fish for dinner will help us stretch our food out too."

Hinata smiled at him. "That was what I-I was thinking too."

With a chuckle Naruto moved away and stood up. "Well, you know what they say! Great minds think alike!" He said giving her a playful wink which caused her blush to darken and her to duck her head a bit. "Well, I'm going to take care of some business, I'll be back in a couple of minutes." He said as he turned and moved off into the bushes.

* * *

"HA!" _Swish_.

"HA!" _Swish_.

"HA!" _Swish_.

Kaoru watched intently as Yahiko performed his warm-up swings. Walking slowly around him, she eyed him carefully for even the slightest flaw. Once he had finished she stood in front of him, her expression serious. "Yahiko, you have been saying that you want to be stronger than you are now, even though you are the strongest ten year old boy I have ever met. Why?" She asked.

Yahiko stared back at her, his expression equally as serious. "I don't want to be the weak one. I want to be able to protect everyone too." Taking a deep breath and keeping his pride in check he quickly bowed low. "Please Kaoru-sensei! Please train me to become stronger! Please make me your successor!"

Kaoru studied his bowed form for a long moment. "You want me to train you in the succession technics of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu?"

"Yes!" Yahiko said eagerly. "Please Kaoru-sensei!"

Kaoru's eyes narrowed at him before she turned her head away. "I don't believe you're ready. There is a lot more you need to learn still Yahiko." She said.

Yahiko's head snapped up. "WHAT! Dammit Kaoru, I _know_ I'm ready!"

Kaoru quickly moved into her fighting stance. "Then prove it to me!"

Yahiko moved into his own stance. "Alright, I will!"

X

Kenshin stood motionless, eyes closed, letting the breeze ruffle his hair as he soaked in the sounds of the woods around him.

Quick as lightning he stepped forward, unsheathing his sword and slashed through the stand of bamboo in front of him. Not wasting a second he turned, raising his sword as if to block before going through a series of slashes and blocks as he performed his katas.

Once through the set, he resheathed his sword and took a deep breath as he found his center once again, preparing to start the katas from the beginning.

* * *

The mid afternoon sun shone down brightly on them as they leapt from tree to tree. Spotting a particularly tall tree, Hinata made a beeline for it, jumping up to the highest sturdy branch she could. Once there she pulled out the map as she tried to gage their approximate location.

Landing on the branch below her with enough force to cause the tree to shake slightly, Naruto looked up at her expectantly. Periodically throughout the day Hinata had been doing this, finding a very tall tree to give her Byakugan the most range so that she could compare the landscape they were traveling through to the map. "Well?" He asked, as he caught his breath. He was a bit winded from the long run, but thanks to the method of travel, not nearly as tired as if they had stayed on the ground. Not to mention that they would not have been able to travel nearly as fast and would be nowhere near their current location, wherever that might be.

"Well…." She began as she looked up from the map and down the mountainside to the south and then back at the map. "...I..I think we are getting close to the halfway point."

Naruto grinned at this. "Really?"

Hinata gave a nod as she continued looking at the map. "I-I can see the beginning of what looks to be a lake to our south. The only lake on the map that is along the trail we are following is fed by the river that marks the approximate halfway point that Kenshin-sensei told us about."

"Awesome! How much farther?" He asked excitedly.

Hinata blushed a bit. "I-I'm not sure...maybe a half hour to an hour? I don't know the exact distance from here." She replied, which caused him to frown a bit as he was looking forward to a break. "B-But we will know that we have reached it because there is a small Hokora shrine by the side of the trail where it crosses the river. We can stop there and do some fishing."

"A Hokora shrine?" Naruto asked, confusion written on his face. "What kind of shrine is that?"

Hinata carefully started folding the map as she spoke. "They are small, mini shrines sometimes used to worship local deities. Kenshin-sensei said that this one is dedicated to the Mizugami of the lake and the river that feeds it less than a kilometer south of the trails crossing point."

"Mini shrines…" He said, almost to himself. "OH! Are you talking about those little mini houses that you see along the road sometimes?"

Hinata looked down at him for a moment before giggling. "Yes Naruto-kun." She replied. "Those are Hokora shrines." Taking another look around Hinata got back to business. "L-Lets go." She said as she took off again with Naruto hot on her heels.

Not even a half hour later they dropped to the trail itself. There was an old bridge about ten meters ahead of them and to their left about five meters down the slight embankment was the small shrine. It was built facing the trail but near the tree line where the bank of the river started. They picked their way down the rocky embankment to the shrine.

"W-We should leave an offering and a prayer to the Mizugami in exchange for the fish we are going to take." Hinata said as she stopped by the shrine and dug out her bento to take an onigiri out.

"You think so?" Naruto asked curiously as he watched her.

"Y-Yes. It only seems fair to offer some of our food for the fish we want to catch. A-And I would not wish to offend the Mizugami by being impolite." She said as she put the bento back and stepped up to the shrine and placed the offering at the base of the shrine.

"Here, let me get one of mine too then." Naruto said as he dug out his own bento and took out an onigiri. "I hope the Mizugami likes onigiri since that's all we got!" He said with a bit of a chuckle as he stepped up next to her placing his offering down next to hers. "So, what should we pray for?" He asked.

Hinata thought for a moment before answering. "Well, we should thank the Mizugami for the bounty of the river and ask for guidance in getting the food we need." She said thoughtfully.

"Alright, sounds good to me!" Naruto replied.

They both settled on their knees in front of the shrine and with a clap of their hands they bowed their heads to offer their prayers and food to the Mizugami of the river and lake.

Once done the stood back up and made their way around the shrine to the bank of the river. Hinata activated her Byakugan to take a better look around. "Well…" Said as she studied the river. "...the current isn't very fast here so if we need to get into the water we won't get swept away, and I see a lot of fish out towards the middle of the river."

Naruto grinned at this. "Leave that to me then!" He said as he started to strip. "Makes sure to have plenty of kunai ready, ok?"

"Na-Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed as her face flushed a dark red.

"What?" He asked as he looked over at her, his kimono top was already on the ground and his hakama were half off revealing his underwear.

Hinata couldn't help but stare at him wide eyed. "W-What are you doing?!"

Naruto blinked at her in confusion. "I'm getting undressed." He replied. "I don't want to get my clothes wet when I jump in the river to scare the fish to you."

"O-Oh...ok." She said as she tore her eyes off of him and back towards the river.

A minute later Naruto was standing on the river bank in his underwear. With a few quick hands signs and a quick 'Kage Bunshin no jutsu!' he and made a dozen clones and took of running over the top of the river with half of his clones following him down stream while the other six went up stream.

Hinata waited patiently on the bank, four kunai in each hand as she watched the 'Naruto's' dive into the water. Activating her bloodline she watched intently as Naruto and his clones herded a school of fish in her direction. Once the fish were close she let loose with one handful of kunai and then the other managing to hit three of the eight target. A moment later she saw the clones that had gone upstream headed her way with another group of fish in front of them. Quickly palming another eight kunai in her hands she waited until they were in range. Letting the kuani fly she was able to hit four out of this group.

Naruto's head popped out of the river about fifteen meters out. "How..was..that?" He asked as he gulped in some air. "Do you need me to scare in some more fish?"

Hinata shook her head as she bent over and started rolling up her pant legs. "N-No. I think I got more than enough for us for dinner." She said as she then removed her sandals and waded into the water and started collecting the kuani and fish, which she tossed up onto the shore.

Naruto grinned broadly as he swam towards her. "So, how many did you get?" He asked.

Hinata blushed a little as she replied, feeling a bit self conscious that more than half of her kunai missed even with her Byakugan. "S-Seven."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Whoa, you got that many? That's awesome Hinata!" He grinned broadly as he started helping her retrieve her kunai and fish. "When I did this with the Teme he only got three." He said.

Hinata studied him out of the corner of her eye as they worked. "W-Well….we should clean them here and then we can get going again." She said, carefully changing the subject. "We still have a few hours before sunset so if we press on for a couple more hours we can stop for the night and cook our fish and be more than halfway to our meeting place."

Nodding Naruto made a couple fresh clones, the other ones having already dispelled, and put them to work helping gut the fish. "Sounds good to me." He said with a grin. It didn't take them long to clean the fish, taking care to properly wash and discard the guts and string them on some wire. Once that was done, Naruto redressed and they took off, crossing the bridge and taking back to the trees.

Behind them at the small shrine a pale blue shimmering light could be seen surrounding their offering of onigiri before they disappeared.

X

An hour and a half later found them slowly coming out of the mountains, but instead of being relieved Hinata was worried. There was still about an hour before sunset but the sky to the west was dark and a wind was starting to pick up. There was going to be a storm that night and they needed to find shelter. Scanning the area as they traveled she spotted a treefall where a large tree had been uprooted in another storm. She quickly changed direction and a couple of minutes later dropped to the forest floor.

Naruto landed next to her, his landing making a loud crunching sound in the old dead leaves. He scanned the area as he spoke. "Is this where we are stopping for the night?" He asked.

"M-Most likely." She said as she studied the fallen tree, which had been growing on the edge of a sharp incline. Carefully climbing down the steep slope that, thankfully, leveled out about five meters down they discovered that when the tree had fallen, it's root ball, which was still intact above them, along with the trunk made a partially covered shelter of sorts if you were to crawl underneath.

Naruto watched Hinata curiously. "So, you think it will rain tonight?" He asked as he glanced up at the sky.

"Y-Yes. The clouds are really dark to the west." She said as she straightened up from checking out the fallen tree. "We need to start a fire and get those fish cooking a-and then try to turn this into a shelter."

"Well, I'm sure you paid more attention to this stuff in class than I did." Naruto chuckled as he rubbed at the back of his head. "If you want, I'll get the fire going and get the fish cooking and you can work on the shelter? I'll even give you a couple clones to help you!"

Hinata nodded at this. "That sounds good." She replied. "I only remember a little myself, b-but I'll get something put together."

It had taken Hinata and the four clones Naruto had made to help her almost an hour to put it together, most of this time had been taken up by three of the clones as they scoured the area for enough branches to form the kinda roof/wall like side of the shelter. Once enough branches had been found they had been braced up against the fallen tree with a bit of wire here and there to secure them in place. The branches were then covered on the outside with a thick layer of dead leaves and some evergreen branches that had been cut from an evergreen down by the small stream that one of the clones found. The inside Hinata had scooped out the dead leaves, twigs (which got fed to the fire) and rocks and then a fresh layer of leaves had been put down so that they weren't sleeping on bare dirt. By the time this was done dinner had also been done which they both had happily devoured.

Dinner itself was a quiet affair, they were both too hungry and tired to makes small talk. Hinata sighed tiredly as she finished her meal. ' _I over did it today._ ' She thought as a wave of exhaustion swept over her. Deciding that she should go to bed, she rose stiffly, staggering a little in her exhaustion she headed towards the shelter where their belongings were already stored and the blanket laid out.

Naruto's eyes trailed after her. He had noticed a few minutes before that she was quieter than usual and upon a closer look she almost looked like she was wilting into herself. His brows furrowed in concern as he watched her move. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I-I'm alright, I'm just tired." She replied. "I'm going to bed, you should come and lay down too, we have another long day ahead of us tomorrow." She said over her shoulder as she crouched down by the shelter.

"Yeah...alright. I'll come and lay down once I get this fire put out." He said, as he stood and stretched, feeling the for the first time just how sore and tired he himself was.

A distance roll of thunder sounded as he worked to bank the fire before putting it out. The fire flared as a gust of wind tore through camp. ' _Shit, we are going to get one hell of a storm tonight._ ' He thought as he worked.

A couple minutes and a quick trip to the bushes later camp was set for the night. Making a few quick hand signs he set a couple transformed clones into the surrounding woods to keep watch before crawling into the shelter himself.

He could barely make out her form laying in the back of the shelter in the in the quickly waning twilight. As he moved further in to get away from the entrance, and keep from getting wet when the storm hit, he noticed that she had laid out the blanket in such a way that, even though she was curled up underneath it herself, there was more than enough for him to crawl underneath it as well.

He blushed darkly at this realization, he hesitated for a moment before nervously crawling under the blanket with her, making sure to leave a few inches between them. ' _Well, she did say that she didn't mind sharing the blanket with me...and she did leave more than enough for me to use._ ' He thought as he tried to get himself to settle down enough to rest. He lay there staring up at the branches above him for a few minutes until he had gotten his embarrassment and nerves under control and, with a stretch and tired sigh, he started to doze off.

Naruto had no idea how long he lay there when movement to his right roused him out of sleep. Mumbling something incoherent in her sleep, Hinata rolled over. With a sigh, she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm across his stomach.

Naruto's eyes popped open and his face flushed a bright glowing red at the contact. Turning his head he looked at the top of her head. ' _What the hell?! She's….she's cuddled up to me?!_ ' He thought to himself, feeling slightly panicked. ' _Should...should I wake her? Will she be mad if I wake her? Oh kami, what should I do?!_ '

After a couple of minutes of debating with himself, he decided to try and wake her enough to get her to roll over. Reaching over he gently shook her shoulder. "H-Hey...Hinata…" He called, trying to keep his voice low. Getting no response he tried again. "Hinata?" He called, shaking her shoulder a little harder this time.

With an incoherent mumble she buried her face into his shoulder and, he had no idea how, got even closer to him. ' _Well that didn't work very well._ ' He thought with a sigh. ' _Maybe I should just roll her over?_ ' Deciding to give it a try he took a firm, but gentle, grip on her shoulder and just as he started pushing on her shoulder to roll her away there was a flash of light and a thunderous boom of thunder seemingly right over the shelter as the rain started. Hinata let out a whimper and tightened her grip on him. Sighing to himself he decided that maybe it would be best to just let her be. Getting himself comfortable he started to think, that's the one thing that he both loved and hated about rain storms. He always turned thoughtful and a bit introspective.

He stared up towards the roof of the shelter, listening as a gust of wind whipped through the branches causing them to rattle. To be honest he was quite impressed that with the steady rain that was coming down there wasn't more than an occasional drip from above. And, now that he thought about it, he was also surprisingly comfortable, even more so than the night before. Turning his head he looked out at the rain just as another flash of lightning lit up the night, seconds later the thunder crashed causing Hinata to twitch at the sudden loud noise but other than that she remained fast asleep.

He turned back after a few moments to study the sleeping girl curled up against him. Now, even though he couldn't really 'see' her, he laid there, soaking in her warmth. With his face turned towards her he could pick up the soft scent of her hair as his nose brushed against the top of her head. This was an unique experience for him, and not an unpleasant one either. Having grown up alone, positive physical contact had been limited to the grandfatherly pats on the back from the old man and the occasional ruffling of his hair from Iruka-sensei. He could count on one hand the amount of times he got an actual hug before Ji-san had come for him. Now though, while no one here was the 'huggy' type, there was a level of affection that everyone had that he enjoyed greatly. It was like they were all a real family, even though there we no ties of blood binding them all together. But with Hinata there was a difference. He didn't know what it was, whether if was just because she was a girl his age, because they were betrothed or something else, something unique to Hinata. Whenever she was close she had a strange affect on him. Even now, though he was still blushing a bit at the contact, he couldn't help but be soothed by her soft rhythmic breathing and the warmth she was radiating. He also felt safe, wanted and needed with her cuddled up to him like she was, which were new feeling for him. As he continued to contemplate her, his brow furrowed in mild concern as his thoughts turned to her behavior earlier. What had him concerned was the fact that while they ate she had seemed to almost wilt or deflate as the day caught up to her. He only hoped that she would be fine after a good night's sleep.

Letting out a soft sigh he pushed his thoughts away as he reached up with his free hand and ran his fingers through her hair. It was something he found himself wanting to do lately and wasn't sure why. He had never realized how pretty her hair was before getting to know her. In the dark it looked black, but when light shone on it her hair shown with indigo highlights and was all shiny and silky looking.

He let the silky strands slip through his fingers. ' _I wonder what she would look like with long hair?_ ' He thought idly.

Another flash of light and crack of thunder had him glancing out at the storm again before giving in to his own tiredness as he turned back to Hinata. Carefully shifting himself and being careful not to wake her, he extricated his arm that was trapped between them and then wrapped his arms around her as he settled back. With a tired sigh he buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes. He was quickly lulled to sleep by her steady breathing and the rhythmic sound of the rain.

* * *

Thunder boomed causing Misao to wake up startled. Rolling over with a groan she pulled the blanket tighter around her. The storm had rolled in about an hour after dark, thankfully they had found shelter under an old decaying bridge before dark so that their small fire hadn't been put out but that hadn't stopped the wind that had picked up.

Misao burrowed further into her blanket as a gust of wind blew through their camp and watched the banked fire spit sparks as one of the branches broke apart. Looking up she looked at Aoshi, who was sitting with his back to one of the support columns of the bridge, his blanket wrapped around his shoulders apparently fast asleep. ' _How can he sleep through this storm_!' She growled to herself. Grumbling quietly she turned over again, trying to get comfortable.

The quiet, steady voice of Aoshi broke through the sound of the storm. "Go back to sleep Misao, we leave at first light." He said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"That's easy for you to say!" She growled out before letting out a quiet sigh. "But I'll try."

* * *

The open shoji behind her rattled in its frame as another gust of wind tore through the yard but she stood there unfazed, tea in hand, as she watched the rain come down. The sound of movement behind her was her only indication that she wasn't completely alone.

Kenshin stepped through the doorway, a cup of tea in hand. "Kaoru-dono, what's wrong? You are unusually quiet this evening." He asked in concern.

Kaoru turned towards him as she studied him for a moment. "I have just been thinking, that's all." She replied as she turned back to look at the rain.

"About what?" He asked as he studied what he could see of her profile from the light of the kitchen behind them.

"This storm is pretty bad...at least it is if you were to be caught out in it." She said as another flash of lightning lit up the yard.

Kenshin nodded in understanding as the thunder boomed. "Aa….I imagine so, but I am sure that they all have found places to keep dry, that I am."

"Are you sure Kenshin?"

Kenshin smiled softly at her. "I know you are worried for everyone. Misao can take care of herself just as well as Naruto and Hinata. It is hard not to look at them and see them as children and not the adults that their village has trained them to be. While they have not finished maturing and in some ways are still not more than the young teenagers that they are, remember that they are looked upon as adults now that they have earned the right to be a shinobi of their village."

Kaoru hummed at this. "It sounds like Genpuku a bit though, don't you think?"

Kenshin chuckled a bit at this. "A bit." He said in agreement. "That is why we must not worry about them too much. They have each other so they are not alone. They will whether this storm and learn from it just as they have with everything else that has been thrown their way, that they will."

"I'm curious though, if it's similar to Genpuku, and they are considered adults, wouldn't they be able to marry?" Kaoru asked.

"Aa, well there has been an age limit placed on marriage." He replied. "As I understand it, it was put in place to allow the younger generations of shinobi time to physically and emotionally mature before taking on the responsibilities of marriage and family. Although, to be honest, with an arranged marriage an earlier age can be pushed for. If either me or Hiashi had felt it necessary or beneficial, we could have petitioned Tsunade-dono to have them married before we left the village."

Kaoru looked at him surprised. "Really?"

"Yes." He said as he nodded slightly. "Personally, I feel they are too young. They need this time to grow and discover themselves as they bond. They have enough to worry about without adding the responsibilities of marriage to the mix."

"That makes sense." She agreed as she turned back to watch the storm.

They stood in companionable silence for a moment before Kenshin turned to her and placed a gently hand on her arm. "Come Kaoru-dono, I will refill your tea and you can tell me what training you have planned for Yahiko. He was most energetic and determined today, that he was."

Kaoru laughed softly at this as she turned and headed into the kitchen. "He was…..he still has much to learn but, I believe he is ready to start on the succession technics."

"Succession technics?" Kenshin asked in surprise. After a moment of thought he continued. "He does have much to learn, that is true." He paused as he poured the hot tea into their cups. "It is also true that he has had to grow up faster than most children his age...he may be ready and he may not be. I suppose the only way to truly find out is to just go ahead and teach him."

Kaoru smiled as she took a sip of tea. "That is what I was thinking this morning while I watched him train."

"Then we are both in agreement." He said with a smile as he finished his tea. "Which is good as Yahiko's training is important to both of us." Kenshin placed the cup in the sink before heading towards the shoji. "Good night Kaoru-dono" He said. "I will see you in the morning."

"Good night Kenshin." Kaoru called after him as she too finished her tea and headed off to get some rest.

AN: Well, everything is moving forward and soon Naruto and Hinata will meet Misao and Aoshi for the first time! As you can see, these next couple of chapters (including this one) are a bit more NaruHina centric and of course have some fluff and character development as well. I am trying to keep it to a reasonable and realistic pace, so for those of you who want quick love development between them, I do apologize.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Please read and review! XD

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 15

Naruto stirred, groaning slightly as he tried to stretch his stiff muscles. His brow furrowed as his sleep fogged mind tried to figure out the strange, warm weight on him. Cracking an eye open he could just make out in the dim, predawn light, one of his transformed clones sitting on his chest. The clone gave a loud squeak as it hopped off of him, it's job of waking him done. Sleepily he turned his head and watched as the clone scurried out of the shelter. Turning his head back, he looked to investigate the source of the warm weight that was still holding him down. The sleepy haze quickly left his mind when he spied the dark head of hair on his shoulder.

With his face flaming he carefully worked to try and roll her over, his embarrassment only increasing with the knowledge of just how tangled together they had become while they slept. The sound of his clones laughter as he worked had him shooting a dark look their way. "Stupid clones…" He muttered to himself. "I could use a little help ya'know!" He called out to them, which only caused their laughter to increase in volume. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to roll her over.

Sitting up he stretched and let out a yawn before crawling out of their shelter to take a quick look around and take care of his business. Once done he poked his head back into the shelter to find Hinata still fast asleep. ' _She really wore herself out yesterday._ ' He thought before glancing up at the now clear sky to judge the time. He figured they had about a half hour before the sun was up and decided to let her sleep a little longer. Grabbing their packs, he settled just outside the shelter to look at the map himself.

After a few minutes he let out a sigh. ' _Alright, I guess it was a good thing Ji-san had Hinata take the map.'_ He thought as he realized that he had no idea where they were on the trail besides being further than the halfway mark. Carefully the refolded the map and put it back in her pack. Once that was done he crawled back into the shelter to try and wake her.

Reaching out he gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, Hinata…" He called, keeping his voice on the low side as to keep from startling her. "..Hinata…" He called again, which received a sleepy groan from her before she rolled away from him. "Geeze, I didn't think that she would be this hard to wake up." He muttered to himself before trying again. "Hinata!" He said, his voice a little louder as he shook her shoulder again. "It's time to get up Hinata!"

With a groan Hinata opened her eyes. "Wh...What time is it?" She asked drowsily.

"It's almost dawn." Naruto replied as he moved back out of the shelter to giver her space to get up. "We should eat and get moving soon."

"Alright." Hinata said as she too crawled out of the shelter and stretched. "I'll be back in a minute." She said as she moved to leave their camp. Her body felt stiff and sore from sleeping on the ground, but even with all the sleep she still felt a little drained. ' _I need to pace myself better today._ ' Hinata thought to herself as she made her way into the bushes.

Fifteen minutes later they had both eaten and had taken to the tree's. Naruto swore to himself to keep a closer eye on her that day. He might be an idiot about a lot of things, but there was one thing he knew and that was their mission was completely dependent on Hinata's Byakugan. Without it they would have to travel along the trail itself and, even with the use of chakra to boost their speed, they would not be able to get back in time. In other words, they would be screwed.

* * *

Misao hummed happily, stretching her arms above her head as she walked. "It's such a beautiful morning, don't you think Aoshi-sama?!" She said as she soaked in the warm sunshine and fresh breeze. "That storm really blew out all that heat we've been dealing with lately too!"

"It did." Aoshi agreed from where he was walking ahead of her.

"Do you think we will get to the shrine by sundown?" She asked as she hurried to catch up again.

"We will if you quit stopping to admire the scenery." He replied, gently chastising her.

Misao pouted at this. "But the woods are so pretty after it rains." She whined.

"We are on a mission Misao, focus please." Aoshi said as he picked up the pace. "You don't want to let your friends down do you?"

"Of course not!" Misao replied as she hurried ahead of him. "What are you waiting for Aoshi-sama?!" She called back over her shoulder.

Aoshi continued forward, the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement at her antics.

* * *

Kenshin and Kaoru stood along the side wall of the dojo as they watched Yahiko practice. Kenshin turned to Kaoru as Yahiko snapped his arms up, making and 'X' with his wrists. "So this is…"

"The ougi...the master technic to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu." Kaoru replied, not taking her eyes off of Yahiko as he performed the exercise. "It's the one move that, while I can perform it, I have never been able to master it and use it in battle. It's the ability to stop a blade with your bare hands."

Kenshin nods in understanding as he turns back, carefully studying Yahiko's form as he practiced. "So, how many are you having him start with?"

Kaoru grinned as she glanced at him. "Ten thousand."

Kenshin's eyes widened in surprise. "Oro?!" He said looking at her in shock.

* * *

The late afternoon sun filtered down through the trees overhead. Hinata had the map out and was studying it as they walked along the trail. They were close...very close.

Looking at the map, Hinata carefully looked around, taking in the curve of the river a hundred meters or so to their south and the rise of the hill to the north that the trail was currently curving around. "I-I think we should see it soon." She said as she studied the hillside more intently.

It took them a few more minutes to come around to the other side of the hill. Hinata's eyes narrowed as she glimpsed something on the hillside. "Byakugan!" She said, activating her doujutsu to get a better view. "Naruto-kun!" She cried excitedly. "We found it!"

Naruto grinned excitedly. "Alright! Let's go check it out!" He exclaimed.

It didn't take them long to find the steps to the shrine, which was located on an intersecting trail. They quickly moved through the large Torii gate at the base of the stairs and climbed up. Upon reaching the the top of the stairs they stopped and stared in stunned silence at the two large stone statues that stood on either side of the top of the stairs.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he took in the two statues. "Are those what I think they are?" He asked.

"I...I guess..." Hinata replied hesitantly as she too stared at the two large statues. To their left was a large Kitsune statue holding a scroll in its mouth and to their right was an equally large Kitsune statue with what looked to be a baby Kitsune under its paw.

Naruto growled low in his throat in his annoyance. "I bet Ji-san though this would be funny!"

Hinata looked over at him. "I d-don't know about that...but it is an easily accessible site along the old trail we were following. It's probably just a coincidence that there are these statues here."

"Yeah, whatever." He huffed, turning to check out the rest of the shrine grounds. There was a small temple at the end of the walkway in front of them that was lined with stone lanterns and a couple of other small building that could easily be seen. "So, do you see anyone here, because I don't." He said.

After scanning the area Hinata shook her head. "N-Neither do I. She's not here yet."

"So what do we do now?" Naruto he huffed.

Hinata giggled at him. "W-Well...why don't we go down to the river and fish? We have about an hour and a half or so until sunset, and we might as well eat while we are waiting."

Naruto blushed as his stomach rumbled at the mention of food. "Sounds good to me!" He said with a laugh as he rubbed at the back of his head. Turning, they headed down the stairs. "If you want, you can set up the fire, and I'll catch the fish."

"A-Alright."

* * *

"How much longer do you think it will take us to get there?" Misao asked excitedly.

"An hour." Aoshi replied.

Bouncing forward she turned and walked backwards so she could face him. "You really think so?"

"Yes." He said as he continued forward, unfazed by her energy.

"I can't wait!" She excitedly exclaimed. "What do you think this guy's is going to be like? Do you think he'll be like a miniature Himura?" She asked, mentally picturing a younger, miniature version of Kenshin in her mind. "And what about this fiance of his, we don't know anything about her! Do you think she'll be nice like Kaoru?"

"I don't know." He replied.

Misao pouted as she turned to face forward again. "You're no fun."

* * *

Naruto reached out and poked the fish in front of him. "Do you think they're done yet?" He asked as he turned to the dark haired girl sitting next to him by the small fire.

Hinata shook her head. "No...not quite yet." She replied as she checked the fish she was cooking.

He frowned as he turned his attention back to the food in front of him. "The fish last night cooked faster than these!" He grumbled as he moved back from the fire.

Hinata looked over at him. "W-Well...the fish last night were a little smaller, that's why they cooked faster." She replied.

"Yeah…" He sighed. "...and we had more of them too. I can't believe that I only got four." He said as he turned his intense gaze towards her.

Hinata blushed and looked away, feeling suddenly shy under his scrutiny. "W-Well...you got more than I would have if I-I had gone to fish by myself."

Naruto let out a sigh, though Hinata's words did help him feel a little better. "Yeah...I guess you're right." He said, his attention drifting back to the fire.

They sat in companionable silence listening to the small fire crackle as they let their fish continue to cook until rustling in the nearby bushes drew their attention. Just as Naruto was pulling a kunai out of his pouch the lower branches of the bush trembled and out popped a small red fox kit. The kit looked up at them with pain filled honey-gold colored eyes as he limped out of the brush. He lowered his head and ears into a submissive position as it whined.

"I-It's a baby fox." Hinata said as she put her hand up to stop Naruto. "He's hurt too."

Naruto relaxed his stance slightly. "Do you think he'll let us help him?" He asked curiously he eyed the fox kit.

"Maybe….if you look, he has a collar," she said as she indicated the red and gold woven rope collar around its neck "maybe he belongs to the shrine?"

Noticing the collar himself he hesitantly agreed. "Maybe."

"Naruto-kun, can you get the first aid kit out of my pack?" Hinata asked as she started moving towards the baby fox, making sure to keep her movements slow and non threatening.

"Sure." He replied as he moved to where their bags were and started digging through her bag.

Hinata kept her movements slow and once she got close she crouched down and extended her hand to let the kit sniff her. "Hello little one. It's ok, I-I won't hurt you." She cooed. "You look like you're hurt, can I help?"

The kits nose wiggled as it sniffed at her. Seemingly satisfied he crept forward, whining softly as he nuzzled her hand.

Gently stroking the kits soft fur, Hinata allowed the small animal to get comfortable with her presence as Naruto walked over to her with her small first aid kit.

"Here." He said as he placed it on the ground next to her and crouched down to let the little fox smell him as well.

"Thank you." She replied as she grabbed the kit and opened it. Once opened she placed it back on the ground next to her and reached for the baby fox, who was still curiously sniffing at Naruto as it didn't quite know what to make of him.

Gently picking up the kit, Hinata cradled him close and inspected the paw he was favoring. "Aww, you poor thing." She cooed to the fox as the bottom of its paw was all scratched up. "I wonder how that happened."

Naruto grimaced in sympathy upon seeing the state of his paw. "That looks like it hurts!"

"Yeah." Hinata agreed as she got out a small bottle of mild disinfectant. It was a special one that she kept on hand out of habit for Akamaru that was made for animals and didn't sting. She used it to carefully rinse of the dirt before applying some ointment and wrapping it to keep it clean. Once done she placed the small fox back down on the ground. "There you go, all done."

The fox kit tilted its head curiously as Hinata spoke to him. With a squeaky yip, he stood up and blinked as if surprised. They watched in amusement as the little kit tried out its bandaged paw that, while it felt a little weird because of the bandage, no longer hurt thanks to the herbal ointment Hinata had applied. With a happy yip and wagging tail the kit hopped over to her and licked her hand in thanks, gave Naruto another curious look and then bounded off back into the bushes.

Both Naruto and Hinata laughed at the kits antics. "Well, I guess he was really happy to have his paw fixed!" Naruto said as he stood up.

"Y-Yeah. I'm glad we could help him. He would have been vulnerable to predators limping like he was." Hinata replied as she too stood up and turned back to the fire. "Those fish should be done now too, so let's eat."

* * *

"Alright! We made it!" Misao cheered as she hopped up the last couple of steps and struck a victorious pose in her excitement. Her excitement was greeted by the rustle of leaves as a breeze blew through the shrine and the musical sound of the crickets in the grass. Blinking in surprise she scanned the deserted shrine grounds, the only signs that anyone had been there at all was the fact that the stone lanterns on either side of the flagstone walkway were lit.

"There's no one here…." She said stunned. She turned to Aoshi, who had just reached the top of the stairs. "Aoshi-sama there's no one here!"

"There's still time Misao, relax." He replied as he quickly scanned the shrine grounds as he headed to the shrine proper.

"But Aoshi-sama, it's almost sundown and their not here!" Misao whined as she stomped after him.

Upon reaching the shrine, Aoshi entered the hall and stepped up to place an offering and a prayer, Misao following suit. Once they were done they went back outside in time to hear the sound of rambunctious laughter coming from the stairs.

"You should have seen it though!" Naruto said, eyes bright and arms flailing as he laughed. "I mean not only was the clearing scorched but I can't even begin to describe what it did to Sasuke-teme's hair! I thought Sakura was going to cry when she saw what happened to his hair!"

Hinata giggled, her hand covering her mouth as she did so. "I can't imagine Sasuke-san was pleased about that either." She said as they reached the top of the stairs.

Naruto grinned broadly. "He wasn't. He didn't talk to me at all that week and only started talking to me again because Kakashi-sensei got involved, but to tell you the truth, Kakashi-sensei thought it was funny too!"

A loud, 'Hey you!' drew their attention to the two figures moving towards them from the shrine. One was a tall, stoic looking man and the other was a girl that looked to be only a couple of years older than them, who was marching her way towards them with her braided hair swinging behind her.

They quickly glanced at each other before Naruto, his hand instinctively going to the back of his head, stepped forward to greet the older girl with a friendly smile. "So you must be Misao, nice to meet ya!"

Misao stopped short, she had planned on asking these two kids if they had seen anyone else headed towards the shrine. It hadn't crossed her mind that these two _were_ the people they had come to meet. Taking in their appearance, she realized that they were wearing the Kamiya dojo training uniform. " _You're_ Himura's nephew?!" She exclaimed.

"Obviously he is Misao." Aoshi said as he reached the group, sizing up the two young teens before him.

Misao seemed to deflate at this. "But you don't look anything like him!" She whined.

Naruto frowned at this. "Why does everyone say that! Just because I didn't get red hair like mom and Kenshin-jisan everyone acts all surprised that we're related!" He growled out, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Misao foolishly thought that you would be a miniature of your uncle Uzumaki-san." Aoshi said as he glanced at Misao.

"I figured." Naruto said with a snort, still a bit annoyed.

Hinata shifted slightly, the tension between Naruto and Misao making her uncomfortable. Taking care to keep her head tilted down to try and hid her eyes she spoke. "E-Excuse me but, um...d-did you bring Tomoe-san's diary?" She asked

Miaso turned to her. "Of course!" She replied, her demeanor turning cheerful in a blink of an eye. "I got it wrapped up right in my bag!" She said as she indicated the small bag she was carrying.

Hinata glanced up quickly. "M-May we have it please? We need to be headed back as soon as possible."

Misao smiled. "No way!"

Hinata blinked in confusion. "W-What?"

"I said no way, I'm not going to give it to you."

"Why?!" Naruto growled, becoming annoyed again. "Ji-san sent you a message asking you to bring the diary here to give to us! We need to get it back before that Enishi guy attacks the dojo and someone gets hurt!"

Misao placed her hands on her hips and looked at him. "I'm not giving it to you because we are going to Tokyo with you!"

"What?!" They replied, shocked.

"Did you think we wouldn't want to go and help our friends?" Misao asked curiously.

"Well, no...it's not that." Naruto replied. He looked at Hinata, who was peeking up at him nervously. "It's just that...well...we are traveling fast and you can't keep up with us."

Misao scoffed. "Of course we can keep up with you, were ninjas!" She grinned at this. "Have you never met a ninja before?"

"A ninja huh?" Naruto said, a mischievous glint forming in his eyes. "Can't say that I've ever met a ninja like you before."

"See!" Misao said as she pointed at him triumphantly. "So you shouldn't underestimate us! There is no way we can't keep up with you!"

A grin slowly spread across Naruto's face as he chuckled. "Well that's good to hear, right Hinata?" He said as he turned to the shy girl next to him.

Hinata couldn't help but wonder what he had up his sleeve as she looked at the way his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Y-Yes." She replied before turning towards Misao and Aoshi. "I apologize if we have offended you." She said as she gave a respectful bow.

Misao quickly waved off her apology. "Don't worry about it! We're not upset, right Aoshi-sama?"

"Yes." Aoshi said in agreement as he eyed Naruto curiously.

"Well, let's get going then!" Naruto said as he turned, ushering Hinata in front of him, and started back down the stairs.

"So, where do you want to make camp?" Misao asked as she followed after the two younger teens.

Naruto, who was walking with his hands clasped behind his head, turned slightly to answer. "Camp? We're not stopping for the night for another couple hours."

"What?!" Misao said, surprised. "But it's getting dark! You're not serious about trying to travel after dark are you?!"

"Of course we are!" Naruto replied. "The moon will be up in a bit so there will be more than enough light to see. We need to keep moving anyway, we have to be back in two days!"

"WHAT?!" Misao exclaimed. "There's no way to get to Tokyo in two days!"

Naruto took care to hide his amused smirk. "What? I told you we are traveling fast! We got here in two days so there's no reason why we can't get back in two!" His smirk widened as he listened to her sputter behind him. "You did say that you could keep up, I mean you _are_ a ninja...right?"

"Of course I'm a ninja!" Misao huffed indignantly. "But do you really expect me to believe that you got here in two days?! What did you do, run?"

"Yep, pretty much!" Naruto said chuckling. "We ran almost all the way, huh Hinata?"

"Y-Yes." Hinata replied, nodding her head in agreement.

"Tsh." Misao scoffed as her attention moved to the dark haired girl in front of her. "You're just saying that because your betrothed…."

"N-No." Hinata said as she glanced over her shoulder. "Naruto-kun is speaking the truth."

"Alright fine, be that way." Misao said as she pouted, sure that they were playing a joke on her. After a moment she decided to change the subject. "Aren't you guys a bit young to be getting married though?" She asked.

"It's an arranged marriage." Aoshi stated, gaining quick glances from the two young shinobi and Misao's attention.

"Really?" Misao asked curiously.

"Yes." Aoshi replied. "Why else would they be betrothed so young?"

"Oh... I didn't think about that!" Misao back to the two shinobi in front of her she continued. "So, is it really an arranged marriage and how old are you guys anyway?"

"Yeah, it was set up by our parents, but we agree with it, right Hinata?" He said, receiving a confirming nod from the blushing girl in front of him. "We're both thirteen." Naruto continued as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "We'll both turn fourteen before the end of the year." He glanced over his shoulder at Misao who was only slightly taller than them. "So what about you? You're our age too right?" He asked.

"What!" She exclaimed. "I'll have you know that I am sixteen and will be turning seventeen in November!"

"Really? Man you're short for a sixteen year old!." Naruto looked at her surprised. "I mean you're barely taller than us and I was the shortest boy out of our friends back home!"

Misao growled in annoyance, moving forward quickly knocked him upside the head. "OW!" Naruto exclaimed as he rubbed at his head and looked back at her. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For being rude! I swear, you're as bad as Yahiko!" She growled out. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to ask a woman her age?!"

"Maybe she would have if she wasn't dead!" He growled at her before turning away with a huff. "Whatever…" He said, still rubbing his head as his eyes landed on Hinata, who was looking at him with a worried expression on her face. "...ya'know Hinata, you're probably the only girl that I know who isn't violent for no good reason."

"A-Are you alright?" Hinata asked, her soft voice filled with concern. "I have some ointment in my pack if you need any." She sent a stern look at Misao as she talked, forgetting for the moment that she was trying to keep them from noticing her unusual eyes.

Naruto couldn't help but smile softly at her concern. "Nah, I'm fine. She doesn't hit nearly as hard as Sakura or Baa-chan."

Misao looked on in shocked silence as she watched Naruto and Hinata talk. "I…" She said, her voice hesitant. "...I didn't know you mom was dead...I'm sorry."

Naruto looked back at her before turning fully to continue along the trail. "Don't worry about it….it's not like I knew either her or my father anyway." He replied.

Misao looked down as she walked after them, feeling guilty for inadvertently touching on an obviously sore subject.

"Misao...try to be more respectful, would you? You have only just met them, there is no need to cause trouble." Aoshi said.

Misao nodded. "Of course Aoshi-sama." She replied quietly.

The four of them walked along quietly for a few minutes as they made their way back over to the old Edo trail. The mischievous glint came back to Naruto's eyes as he looked up at the trees as they walked. Grinning as he stretched his arms above his head he turned to look at Hinata. "Well, you ready to get moving again?" He asked.

Hinata nodded as she looked over her shoulder at the other two. "Y-Yes but...are you sure we should…"

"Aww come on Hinata! You know we don't have any time to waste, so let's go!" He said as he bolted forward, Hinata taking off seconds later. "Hey, are you guys coming?!" He yelled back over his shoulder.

"Wha…" Misao blinked, surprised as they took off unexpectedly. "Aoshi-sama, come on!" She said as she started to take off herself.

"You go ahead Misao." Aoshi called after her. "I doubt that the Battousai needs my skills. I will see you when I get there." He said as he continued to walk at a steady pace.

"But Aoshi-sama…." She said coming to a stop.

"Hurry or you will lose them." He replied, cutting her off.

Misao turned back, taking off again. "Right!" She could barely see them ahead of her on the trail. As she ran, she started to believe that they really may have gotten there in two days with how fast they were running, it was taking everything she had to keep them in sight. After several minutes of running she called out to them. "H-Hey! Could you wait up a minute, I don't want to lose you guys!"

Naruto skidded to a halt at Misao's call. Hinata stopping next to him as they waited for Misao to catch up.

"Geeze, having trouble keeping up already?" Naruto said, chuckling at Misao as she caught up.

"I didn't want to lose you guys in the dark, and it's getting hard to see the trail." Misao replied, feeling a bit annoyed at his apparent amusement. ' _That and you're really fast._ ' She thought to herself. "How are we supposed to keep going now though, I barely see you and your not even two meters from me!"

Naruto's grin broadened at her statement. "The same way we got here!" He said before he disappeared from sight.

Hinata let out a sigh not entirely happy that he was showing off when they were in the middle of an important mission for Kenshin-sensei.

Misao blinking in surprise as she looked around quickly. "What….where did he go?" She asked, her question being answered almost immediately.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We don't have time to waste standing around!" He called, drawing the girls attention up into the trees where his silhouette could just be see against the night sky.

"How the hell did you get up there?!" Misao shouted up at him, shocked that he had been able to get so high up in the trees without her noticing.

Naruto laughed down at her. "That's easy, I jumped!"

"Jumped?!" Misao exclaimed. "There is no way that you jumped that high!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata looked up at him. "Y-You know that Misao-san can't get up there like we can!" She scolded gently.

Naruto sighed as he hopped down, landing with a barely audible thud. "Fine." He grumbled, pouting slightly in his disappointment. "Your being no fun right now though Hinata." He really wanted to see for himself what these ninja's could do, although the fact that Misao really didn't know how to hop up into the tree's was now quite obvious.

Hinata looked away, her shoulders drooping slightly. "S-Sorry…" She said, her voice soft and barely audible, she could hear the disappointment in his voice and couldn't help but feel that it was directed at her. After all, wasn't she always disappointing her father?

"Humm?" He turned towards her at the sound of her apology. Noticing the sad look on her face, he rubbed at the back of his head confused as to why she would look sad. "Wha…"

"Alright, just who the hell are you?! I don't know anyone who can jump down like that and not get hurt!" Misao said interrupting Naruto.

"What? You know who we are, Ji-san put it in his letter to you." Naruto replied as he started to grin again. "As for that," he pointed up into the tree "it's a basic skill learned by all shinobi back home."

Misao blinked. "You're...ninjas?"

"Sorta. Ji-san say's there's a difference between ninja's and shinobi, and I guess he was right too, I mean if you were a ninja like us you would have been able to get up in that tree no problem." Naruto rubbed at the back of his head as he continued. "And that's how we got here so fast too! Tree hopping is a lot faster than regular running!"

Misao looked up at the trees nervously before looking back at him. "Really? But...how am I supposed to keep up with you if you're in the trees?" She asked.

Naruto's face scrunched up in thought at her question. He looked over to Hinata hoping that she had an idea when a thought hit him. After thinking it over for a moment he nodded to himself as he took off his pack and stepped over to HInata. "Here, I need you to carry this for me." He said as he handed his pack over to Hinata, who readily accepted it from him, her eyes following him as he walked over to Misao.

Naruto turned and crouched down in front of her. "I'll just have to carry you!" He said as he grinned over his shoulder at her.

Misao looked at him for a long moment. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied as he turned away again. "Just hop on, we need to get moving."

"Alright." Misao said as she stepped forward and climbed on to the slightly shorter boys back. Once she was settled Naruto turned to Hinata. "Ready?" He asked.

"Y-Yes." Hinata replied, having finished securing Naruto's pack

on her back.

"Alright, lead the way!"

Hinata gave a nod and turned away. Activating her eyes she leapt gracefully into the trees

Naruto tightened his grip on Misao's thighs as he gathered chakra into his legs and leapt high into the trees.

Misao, for her part, held on tight with her eyes screwed shut. After a couple of minutes she curiously cracked an eye open and gasped in surprise at how fast they were moving.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: This has been a long time in coming, I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Please read and review! XD

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 16

The evening breeze ruffled his long hair. Letting out a sigh he shifted his position and adjusted his sword. He had been sitting up on the roof of the house since just after dinner trying to meditate to take his mind off of not just the pending battle with Enishi, but his own concerns about his friends and family. Were their preparations enough or would they be caught with their proverbial pants down? Did Naruto and Hinata make it to the rendezvous? Would they make it back in time? Opening his eyes he looked up at the moon as it rose in all its glory from the horizon. He was hesitant to voice his concerns to the others, especially Kaoru. She needed his strength and confidence now more than ever and that is exactly what he would giver her...give all of them. If he were to falter now, if he were to show fear and weakness then they would begin to doubt themselves and their hard work would be compromised which was a recipe for disaster.

"Kenshin?" The sound of Kaoru's voice drifted up to him from the engawa below. "Kenshin are you in there?" She called out, the sound of her tapping gently on the frame of the shoji to his room reached his ears as he stood up and moved to the edge of the roof. With a graceful jump he landed soundlessly in the grass.

"Is everything alright Kaoru-dono?" He asked from where he stood in the yard.

Kaoru jumped and whirled around at the sound of his voice. "Oh! You startled me!" She said, her hand going to her chest.

"I did not mean to frighten you Kaoru-dono, that I did not." He replied as he moved to the engawa and stepped up to stand beside her. "Did you need me for something?" He asked gently as he placed his hand on her arm hoping the gentle contact would help calm her.

Kaoru blushed at the contact. "I just wanted to see if you were ok….you disappeared right after dinner and I was worried about you." She replied, feeling a bit self conscious.

"Aa." He smiled softly at her. "I was just doing some meditating. It helps me to prepare mentally for battle. It was something I would do during the war before an...assignment."

"Oh…" Kaoru looked away, feeling a little embarrassed at her obvious intrusion. "...I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"You didn't interrupt me, I had just finished." He replied, giving her arm a gentle squeeze he continued. "I had actually been thinking of making some tea before retiring for the night, care to join me?" He asked as he turned and headed down the engawa towards the kitchen.

"Alright, a cup of tea sounds good." Kaoru replied as she followed him down the engawa. "Did you want me to make the tea for you Kenshin?"

"If you wish to Kaoru-dono." He said, smiling to himself. "And while you do that we can discuss whatever it is that's on your mind."

Kaoru blinked in surprise before pouting. "I didn't think I was being that obvious." She mumbled to herself as they entered the Kitchen. She quickly got to work lighting the stove and putting water onto boil while Kenshin got out the tea leaves, tea pot and cups.

Once he was done he leaned against the table as he watched Kaoru work. "So, what's wrong?"

Kaoru looked up at him. "Nothing really, I...well I have been feeling kind of edgy tonight that's all."

"Aa that's understandable, the battle with Enishi is almost upon us. I would be concerned if you weren't affected, that I would." Kenshin replied.

"There's so much at stake...not that I have to tell you that." Kaoru sighed as she shifted her weight slightly. "Maybe I'm over thinking things but I...I just feel that everything is going to change and I wish everything could just stay the way it is, with everyone here, all together and happy."

Kenshin smiled softly at her. "I know what you mean Kaoru-dono, that I do. But we both know it's just a matter of time before life pulls each of us down our own paths."

"I know that Kenshin." She replied sadly. "I just….don't want to be alone again." Kaoru looked away as she said this. The truth of it was the thought of being all alone at the dojo again frightened her. Being alone had been hard before, but would be unbearable for her now, not after having the comforting presence of so many people around. This was also part of the reason why she had been so adamant about training Naruto. The chance to give him a place where he could be happy had been too great a temptation, and she couldn't deny anyone the chance to be with family.

"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin said softly as he moved to stand next to her, his hand coming up to rest gently on her arm, drawing her attention to him. "...you are surrounded by people who care greatly for you. You have found family in people who were no more than strangers before so do not think that you will be alone again. Do you really believe Yahiko will just disappear? Tokyo is his home and so is the dojo. Sano may wander off but I can't imagine he would leave for long. And this is the first place that has felt like home to me since I left to train with Hiko-shisho as a child. I meant it when I said that I was home Kaoru-dono, that I did."

"Kenshin…" Kaoru breathed, her throat constricting as her emotions swelled within her chest. Did he have any idea how his words just now affected her? How his heartfelt thoughts made her want to wrap her arms around him and never let go?

Kenshin's hand moved to brush her cheek as he continued to speak. "We have two days left to prepare. We need to be as ready as possible for Enishi and once this is over life will move forward again." He said his voice soft. "I do not know how I can atone for my sins yet, but no matter what happens I will do whatever it takes to make sure your happiness is safe Kaoru-dono, that I will."

* * *

Naruto stretched his arms over his head and yawned as he made his way back to their small makeshift camp having finished setting a few disguised clones out to keep watch and taking care of some much needed personal business. It was just after midnight when they had stopped for the night so they could get a few hours of sleep before resuming their trek at dawn.

As he stepped into camp the sound of snoring drew his attention to the bundle of blankets that was Misao. ' _Geez, you would think she was the one that just spent the last several hours tree hopping._ ' He thought to himself as she let out a particularly loud snore and mumbled something that sounded like 'Aoshi-sama' in her sleep. With a snort he turned to head over to where his and Hinata's packs were and stopped short when he spotted the blanket laying neatly folded on top of the packs but no Hinata.

He scanned the small camp quickly wondering where she had gone when he spotted her through the trees sitting on a large rock on the edge of the nearby clearing. He moved quietly out of camp towards her, his footsteps silent on the forest floor. Coming out from under the trees he stopped for a moment and observed her as she sat, her arms wrapped around her knees as she stared up at the moon.

Moving forward again, he approached her. "Hey, what are you doing over here? I thought you would be getting ready to sleep by now." He said, drawing her attention to him as he came to a stop by the rock. "Misao's already asleep, I'm surprised you can't hear her snoring from here!" He said chuckling as he rubbed at the back of his head.

Hinata looked at him, a light blush barely visible on her cheeks. "I-I was just thinking, I'm sorry if I worried you."

"It's alright, you don't need to apologize or anything." He said, waving off her comment. "I know you can handle yourself and if there was any real trouble there is no way I wouldn't know about it!" He said as he nodded his head to the nearby tree line where a branch shifted as one of his clones passed as he secured the area and checked for predators, their primary concern this deep in the forest.

Hinata smiled softly at him before turning her attention back to the sky, a faraway look forming on her face.

Naruto stood there and studied her profile in the moonlight. Her hair shown blue-black in the pale light and her eyes seemed to glow with a light of their own, a light blush formed on his face as he realized how pretty she looked sitting there like that. "What are you thinking about?" He asked as he settled on the edge of the large rock next to her.

She turned and eyed him for a moment before returning her attention to the sky. A quiet moment passed as she gathered her thoughts, the stillness of the clearing only being broken by Naruto shifting on the rock as he tried to wait patiently for her answer. He had learned over their short time together that she was not one to ignore someone that was talking to her, even if she didn't always answer right away.

"I-I'm worried. .." She began, drawing his eyes to her. "I...I can't help thinking that Enishi has more planned than just to battle Kenshin-sensei."

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Hinata turned to face him. "That day, when we met him with Kenshin-sensei, do you remember what he said?" She asked.

"Yeah, he talked about getting revenge on Ji-san for what happened to his sister." He replied.

"And when Kenshin-sensei asked what he wanted him to do to atone for it he said he wants him to suffer...not die." She said, her features showing her worry.

Naruto thought this over for a moment before replying. "So what do you think he has planned then?" He asked curiously.

Hinata's hands clenched in her lap as she turned away. "I-I'm not sure but….but I'm worried that he may try to kill someone close to Kenshin-sensei as a way to hurt him." She said her voice soft and worried. After a moment she looked back at him. "What if….what if he goes after you? I don't want you to be hurt…."

Naruto blinked as he took in her words. "You're...worried about me?" He asked, his voice was soft, his face shadowed and hard to read in the moonlight.

Hinata blushed hotly as she turned and looked down at her hands. "Y-Yes...b-but it's not because I don't think you're strong or something!" She said hurriedly as she fidgeted under his gaze. "I-It's just...well...Enishi and his men are really strong, and w-we've never fought against fighters like them before a-and...and I…..I don't know what will happen if the diary isn't enough to sway him." She shyly glanced up at him, her hands clenched tightly once again in her lap. "You're i-important to me….and I-I...I don't want to see you hurt."

He stared at her, a light blush dusted his cheeks. After a moment, he started to chuckle softly.

Hinata looked away, her expression dropping as he chuckled. She didn't know why he would find her concern funny, it certainly wasn't funny to her.

"You don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine! It'll take more than Enishi and his men to take me down! I mean he is kinda scary, being kinda crazy and stuff but Gaara definitely had him beat in that department!" He said looking up at the moon he let out a soft sigh, a grin on his face. "I will admit that I have never had anyone say that to me before though, ya'know? I'm not used to having people worry about me like this...like you do." He said, his voice unusually quiet.

Hinata looked up at him, not sure if she heard him right and came face to face with him as he turned to look at her, a small, sincere smile upon his face.

Deep azure locked with light lavender eyes as he continued. "Hearing you say that to me...makes me happy and I...well I'm glad you're here with me Hinata." He said, turning away after a moment, a blush dusting his cheeks.

A small smile formed on her face as she too turned away, feeling shy once again. "I'm glad I'm here with you too." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each others presence in a way that was a bit different for them. The moment was broken as Naruto stood up and stretched, letting out a tired yawn. "We should go and get some sleep." He said as he looked down at her, catching her eye. Feeling a bit shy, which was unusual for him, he extended his hand towards her, silently offering to help her up.

Hinata looked at his hand before shyly taking it and standing herself.

With a couple of shy glances they made their way back to camp hand in hand.

* * *

The next two days passed in a blur. The Kenshin-gumi worked hard training for the conflict to come. For Naruto, Hinata and Misao the days passed in a blur as they sped through the trees (Misao being carried by Naruto), pushing themselves as hard and as long as they dared each day before stopping, exhausted, for a few precious hours of sleep.

As they sped through the trees, the sun getting ready to set behind them the soft glow of civilization could just barely be seen on the horizon. They estimated that it would be only a matter of a couple of hours before they would be racing across the rooftops for the dojo as if the shinigami itself was hot on their heals. With silent prayers that they would get there in time, they descended out of the foothills and raced towards Tokyo.

* * *

The four warriors stood looking down at a table ladened with weapons, admiring the deadly beauty before them.

"As I promised, those are your upgraded weapons." Enishi said from his place by the large window overlooking the bay, the last rays of sun painting his hair red, his own weapon of choice strapped to his back. He adjusted his sunglasses before continuing. "Go ahead and look them over, once the sun is set we will be leaving for the mainland to deliver our Jinchuu."

 **AN:** A shorter than normal chapter I know. Most of this, if not all, could have been on the last chapter but knowing how October was going to be busy I didn't want to hold up the last chapter and it just felt right to wrap up the last of the pre-Jinchuu action in this chapter so we can move on to some action. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of reading the Jinchuu arc, chapter 184 - Fireworks is where the action begins (my version of the opening scene of Fireworks is the last scene above). Please support the wonderful authors of both Rurouni Kenshin and Naruto by purchasing their work when you can!


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Here it is, part one Jinchuu! Now, this is a fairly canon heavy chapter as the fighting IS going to be heavily based on the canon battles to start at least. I hope that the way I try to balance the canon scenes and original pieces is entertaining for everyone, so please enjoy! For those who are not familiar with RK, please read the manga!

Disclaimer: While the story idea is mine, the characters and their worlds are not and belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 17

A light breeze ruffled his hair as his intent violet gaze roamed the main courtyard as he quickly assessed the area. Turning to address the group behind him, the late afternoon sun causing his hair to glow like fire. "When they arrive, I will meet them over there." He said indicating the main gate to the small compound. "Sano," he said turning his attention to his tall friend "you will be in charge of the main courtyard here and the garden area. Use your best judgement to defend the dojo."

Sano nodded his head. "You got it." He replied.

Kenshin's eyes shifted as he continued. "Kaoru-dono, Yahiko, both of you will remain inside the dojo, make defending yourselves your first priority." His attention focused on Yahiko even as they agreed with their assignment. "Yahiko, if worst comes to worst I will allow you to come out and assist Sano in defending the dojo, so be prepared."

Yahiko gulped nervously. "A-alright!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sano asked.

"Kenshin, are you sure?!" Kaoru asked, her concern for her students safty evident in her voice. "I think it's too soon for him!"

"I can do it!" Yahiko growled, annoyed at their perceived lack of faith.

Kenshin nodded his head. "He'll be fine Kaoru-dono." He said as he turned his attention to Megumi. "Megumi-dono, you will also be in the dojo and will attend to the wounded."

"Of course Ken-san." She replied, giving him a nodd of understanding before sending a sly glance over at Sano. "I can heal any wound, no matter how serious, as long as you don't get yourself killed before I can get to you."

Sano leveled an annoyed glare her way. "You don't need to look at me like that you fox." He growled, knowing full well what she was implying.

Tsubame fidgeted nervously, ignoring the adults playful banter behind her as she stepped forward. "What can I do to help?" She asked, looking up at Kenshin as he turned her attention towards her, his serious expression softening as he focused on the young girl before him.

"You are going to stay with Tae-dono tonight." He said as he watched her expression falter. "You will be much safer there Tsubame-dono. it is unlikely that Enishi will attack the Akabeko again." Looking up his eyes landed on Yahiko who was looking down, an unreadable expression on his face, fists clenched at his sides.

"Oh...of course." Tsubame replied sadly. "I would just get in everyone's way."

"Hey, I'll walk you there ok." Yahiko said as he moved forward, his face still unreadable. With a nodd of consent from the dark haired girl they started moving towards the gate.

Yahiko's voice rang out in the now quiet courtyard. "You don't need to worry about us so much, no one's going to die." He said, eyeing the girl next to him even as he playfully reached out and bonked her on the head. "No one's going to die so we will all see you tomorrow and tell you what happened, alright?" The young man reassured.

Tsubame blushed as she nodded at him. "Of course, I look forward to hearing how bravely you fought." She said earning a grin and a slight blush from Yahiko.

Kenshin watched the two exit through the gate. ' _They are so much alike…and so different at the same time._ ' He mused as he watched these two and thought of the two young shinobi that had yet to return.

"So, now that the little girl is going to be safe, is there anything else do we need to get done before Enishi's arrival?" Sano asked.

"Not that I can think of Sano." Kenshin replied as he turned back towards the rest of the group.

"Well, I'll go make us a light dinner, did you want to help Megumi?" Kaoru asked as she started walking away towards the house.

Megumi shot her a sly look before following in her wake. "I do, the last think Ken-san needs is to suffer a stomach ailment from your cooking during battle." She teased.

Kaoru shot her a dark look over her shoulder. "If that's the attitude you're going to have then by all means stay here." She shot back as she rounded the corner of the dojo and disappeared from sight.

Sano let out a breath once the two women were out of sight. "Man, Megumi is being catty tonight." He grumbled, earning a chuckle from Kenshin.

"I believe it is just her way of breaking the tension that we are all feeling." He said as he turned to his tall friend. "It is never good to over think things before battle. You end up second guessing yourself and your preparations which tends to get people killed, that it does."

"If you say so." Sano replied, still staring in the direction the women had gone. After a moment he turned towards Kenshin. "Alright, so we all know basically what we need to do when these guys show up, what I want to know is your plans for Naruto and Hinata if they make it back in time."

Kenshin sighed, feeling torn. A large part of him prayed that they wouldn't make it back and would be safe from Enishi's Jinchuu, but another part of him prayed they would make it back so that he would know for certain that they hadn't been attacked or waylaid by Enishi and his men when they had left Tokyo. Not to mention having two more people to protect the dojo would be beneficial to them. "Honestly Sano, at this point I would settle for just knowing they were safe." He said before he too moved off towards the house.

* * *

They entered the city, the soft illumination from the gas lights below was just enough to allow them to not trip as they speed as fast as the could across the rooftops.

 **BOOM**

The loud explosion and flash of light had them skidding to a stop. "What the hell?!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked up.

 **BOOM**

 **BOOM**

"F-fireworks?" Hinata said confused as she watched the colorful streamers of light fall towards the city.

 **BOOM**

"I didn't know that today was a festival day." Misao said from her perch on Naruto's back as she too looked up at the colorful lights in the sky.

 **BOOM**

 **BOOM**

 **BOOM**

Scanning the city within her range Hinata shook her head. "I-I don't think there was a festival today….there are no decorations o-or booths set up and everyone seems just as c-confused as us as to why there is fireworks going off." She said as she turned her attention back to the sky.

Naruto looked over at her confused. "So if there wasn't a festival today then what's going on?"

Turning off her Byakugan Hinata narrowed her eyes at the sky as something seemed to appear.

"Hey, do you see that?" Misao asked, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.

"See what?" Naruto asked as he too turned his attention to the sky.

"Those points of light." Hinata replied as she pointed up at the sky over the eastern side of the city. "They are moving a-and...they appear to be lantern's…" Her eyes widened as everything started to click in her mind.

"Really?" Naruto said as he squinted at the lights. "I don't see it."

Hinata sucked in a breath as her head whipped around. "The fireworks were a distraction!" She said, her voice laced with concern as she subconsciously reactivated her Byakugan startling Misao. "We need to get going, the battle is about to start." She turned and poured chakra into her legs as she shot forward.

"Damnit!" Naruto swore to himself as he followed suit, almost dropping Misao in the process. Her muffled cry of 'Be more careful would ya!' had the people on the street below them looking around in confusion.

* * *

Kenshin looked up at the night sky, his eyes set and ready for battle the disbelieving exclamations behind him helping to set his resolve. ' _Hot air balloons, cutting edge military technology debuted during the Seinan war….I can't believe he would really go this far._ ' He thought to himself, his hand clenching tightly on the sheath of his sword.

The night was broken with a shout. " **Battousai!** " Hyougo bellowed, a manic gleam in his eyes as he aimed his new, upgraded cannon at the dojo and lept from his balloon.

Kenshin blocked out Kaoru and Megumi's frightened gasps and exclamations behind him as he quickly judged the distance and trajectory that he would need. ' _Even if I use chakra to enhance my speed and my jump I will come up short._ ' He thought as he eyed the roof over the compound gate before him, then and idea hit him. He spun around and shouted as he ran full tilt towards Sano. "Sano! I'm going to jump, I lend me your fist!"

Sano looked at him startled at first before his expression cleared. "Yeah, sure thing!" He said as he got into position.

As Kenshin neared Sano he eyed Hyougo again and as he lept he added chakra to his legs. As he felt Sano's fist connect with his foot he released the chakra in a burst of power sending him soaring into the sky to meet Hyougo head on. Quickly drawing his sword he prepared his attack, " **Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu: Kuzuryusen**!" He exclaimed, his sword flashing in the moonlight as he struck his opponent's vital spots with blinding speed sending him off course and unable to lock onto the dojo beneath them.

Hyougo landed with a loud crash outside the walls of the compound, temporarily knocking him out of the flight.

Kenshin landed with predatory grace on the roof covering the compounds gate, his eyes now flecked with gold as his anger began to surface. He stared intntly at the balloon holding Enishi, sickened at how the man just smiled down at him without so much of a sign of concern for Hyougo.

The sound of movement behind Kenshin caught his attention along with the sound of Kaoru's voice calling his name in concern. He took a deep breath and centered himself, pushing back his anger. No, he would not let anger get the better of him. He was no longer the Battousai, he had people counting on him. As he released his breath he gathered his KI and released it, allowing it to whip around him like a storm, pulling up and demolishing the tiled roof below his feet and sending the pieces shooting out like shrapnel.

"Kaoru-dono," He called, his voice firm and authoritative. "It is time for you and Megumi to get inside the dojo." He felt more than saw Kaoru heave a relieved sigh as she turned and with Megumi by her side enter the dojo, taking their positions just across the threshold.

Sano stared intently at Kenshin's back. "Watch this carefully Yahiko." He said without turning to the boy at his side. "This is the Kenshin that fought and won against Shishio, the Kenshin that surpassed his old self, the Battousai." With that said he turned and headed to the dojo and reached under the engawa.

"Sano, what are you doing?" Kaoru asked from her position just inside the dojo.

"Helping Kenshin." He said as he pulled out a long cloth wrapped item. "I'm not about to leave everything to him." He carefully unwrapped the item to reveal his hastily repaired zanbatou. Setting the giant sword on his shoulder he turned and made his way to the gate and kicked it open. "Alright, let's get this started!"

The roof under his feet shook with the force of Sano's kick, he was not fool enough to take is attention away from the enemy before them though. Kenshin eyed Hyougo warily as the mountain of a man struggled to his feet, the weight of the Armstrong cannon that had replaced his right arm not helping him any.

" **Battousai!** " Hyougo shouted, spittle and blood flying from his mouth. Hoisting up the cannon he took aim at the dojo.

 **BOOM**

The cannonball sped towards the dojo. With a smirk, Sano slid into position and swung his zanbatou connecting with the cannonball and sent it back towards Hyougo, his zanbatou snapping in half in the process. Hyougo raised the cannon and deflected it slightly using the cannon itself, causing it to impact behind him where it exploded.

 **BOOM**

Hyougo growled angrily. "Loading second shot." He said as he prepared another cannon ball.

Kenshin dashed forward. "That is not something I can allow." He said as he flipped his sword, infusing his blade with chakra as he did so and slashed and the cannon barrel, slicing it in half. Quickly changing his stance he flipped his sword back and slashed Hyougo across his chest knocking him back and causing him to fall.

* * *

"DAMNIT!" He growled loudly as the distant sound of the cannon fire and resulting explosion dissipated. "Hinata! Can you see the dojo yet?!" He shouted to the dark hair girl running in front of him.

"It's still too far!" She called back over her shoulder before leaping off of the edge of the roof for the next one, making a beeline for where the cannon had gone off.

He growled low in his throat as he followed suit, having to add extra chakra to his jump to make up for Misao's extra weight.

"What are you, stupid?!" Misao exclaimed from her perch on his back. "Do you really expect her to be able to see the dojo from here?"

He eyed her over his shoulder as he ran. "I told you before, she can see better than I can...or anyone else around here for that matter!" He barked back.

"And I am telling you there is no way her eyes are good enough to see the dojo from here!" She barked back.

He scoffed as he focused he attention back on the running form in front of him. "Just you wait then. You might not have faith in her, but I do." He said as he took another leap.

* * *

Sano eyed Banjin carefully, noting the newly replaced tekkou on his forearms.

Banjin grinned excitedly. "You're armed this time." He said as he sized up Sano's broken zanbatou. "Not that it matters." He scoffed as he sifted into a fighting stance. "I'll just have to teach you the strength of my tekkou all over again!"

"We'll see about that!" Sano replied as he shifted his zanbatou before charging forward with a shout. With a powerful swing he attacked.

Banjin smirked as he raised his arms into a defensive position and blocked the attack with his tekkou. His smirk broadened at the shocked look on Sano's face as the remains of his zanbatou crumbled from the impact leaving barely a scratch behind. "I have upgraded from my invincible tekkou to these, my new invincible tekkou." He said before looking up at the hot air balloons high above. "Thanks! I'll make sure to use 'em well!" He shouted up at Enishi who continued to watch the unfolding battle below with amusement.

Banjin returned his attention to Sano and laughed at the pained look on his face. "What's wrong...scared?" He taunted.

Sano's grimace deepened slightly. If he was honest he was still feeling the bruised and cracked ribs he got from when he faced off against Banjin a few days prior, but that was not something he was going to admit to the man in front of him. Forcing his expression into one of confidence he prepared to attack. "Nah, just ate too much." He growled out. "We'll see how tough these new tekkou of yours are," he said as he shot forward "because I'm not going to let my zanbatou die for nothing!"

* * *

Hinata was breathing hard as she ran, her anxiety starting to build in her veins. She quickly activated her Byakugan to check the area. They were getting close, she felt that it was only a matter of minutes before the dojo should appear within the edges of her enhanced sight. With a grimace she quickly deactivated her eyes. The slowly growing ache behind her eyes spurred her to move faster. The strain from using her Byakugan excessively for the last four days was finally taking it's toll. They needed to get to the dojo and get this battle over with soon or she would be useless.

"Well?" Naruto shouted from behind her, drawing her attention to him.

She shook her head as she glanced back at him. "N-Not yet!" She called back. "We are getting close though!"

* * *

Kenshin eyed Hyouko assessing. Watching as the jagged edge of his light blue kimono moved in the light breeze that moved through the courtyard.

Hyouko's red painted lips twitched in amusement under Kenshin's intent gaze. "What's wrong Battousai? Don't you want to go help your friend...or does his death mean nothing to you?" He asked the dour looking rurouni.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed slightly at his taunting. "If I move you will shoot the three in the dojo." He replied cooly.

A grin spread across Hyouko's face at this. "Oh? What makes you think that?"

"That is just the type of man you are." He replied, never taking his eyes off of his opponent even as the sounds of Sano's battle rang through the courtyard.

Hyouko let out a barely audible chuckle at this. "That's very perceptive of you. Then you will let your friend die."

Kenshin shifted ever so slightly. "If he dies here then Sano was a man to the very end, that he was."

"Then you _are_ abandoning him then!" Hyouko said with a laugh.

Kenshin could hear the Yahiko's angry growl from behind him and practically feel the heated stares from Kaoru and Megumi aimed at his opponent for his comment. "No." He said, his voice firm. "Sano doesn't need protecting. He is capable of fighting his own fights without my assistance."

"Mmmm." Hyouko hummed as his one visible eye glanced over the three people standing behind Kenshin. "It will be difficult to protect them while you're fighting." He said casually.

X

Sano moved, barely dodging a direct hit to the face, the punch glancing off of him instead, leaving a another gash along his hairline. Breathing hard he lunged in, aiming to land a hit to Banjin's stomach, which he blocked with the tekkou on his arms. ' _Damnit_!' He thought, moving back he wiped the blood from his face, his ribs throbbing painfully with each breath.

' _Man this guy's tough. I got to find a way to end this though._ ' He thought as Banjin straightened, a grin still plastered on his face as he lunged in, pulling his arm back preparing to bunch him again.

X

The black robed figure of Gein slid down the rope from the basket where he had been watching the battle with Enishi. His sandaled feet landing silently on the large crate attached to the balloon. HIs masked face turned slightly as he watched the action below.

' _It is time to turn the tide of this battle._ ' He thought as he pulled out a knife from his robes and swiftly cut the rope sending both himself and the crate plummeting to the ground.

The crate disintegrated upon impact revealing his new Iwanbou.

X

Sano moved forward and aimed a kick for Banjin's face, using Gein's arrival to his advantage.

Banjin, who had turned away for a moment, was unable to block Sano's kick. He felt his nose break with the impact.

Sano grinned as he moved back. "You should pay more attention! Look at you, bleeding all over the place, I know you were weak!"

Banjin growled as he held is broken nose trying to staunch to bleeding. "Your one to talk! You're bleeding all over the place!"

Sano scoffed at him as he lunged forward again. "Oh yeah? Well let's find out then!"

X

Hyouko's attention flickered over to Banjin's fight for a moment as the two bickered as they exchanged blows. ' _Fools_.'

Kenshin's grip tightened on his sword as the dust settled and Gein with his new Iwanbou became visible just outside the dojo's destroyed gate. The shocked exclamations behind him going unnoticed.

"You no longer have a choice, you have to act." Hyouko asked. "So, what will you do now, humm?"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he assessed the unfolding situation.. ' _I was afraid of this._ ' He thought. ' _There is no help for it though._ ' He glanced over his shoulder, locking eyes for a moment with Yahiko before quickly turning back to Hyouko.

Yahiko blinked, surprised by the sudden eye contact. ' _He...he looked at me._ ' He thought as his grip tightened on his bokken. ' _If he needs me to fight, then I need to be ready_!'

Kenshin adjusted his stance before dashing forward, straight for Hyouko, whose eyes widened in surprise at his sudden movement. As he approached his right hand moved to the hilt of his sword, unsheathing is in one smooth motion.

Hyouko reflexively put his left arm up in a vain attempt to block the attack, a moment latter blinking in surprise as the battousai continued past him to square off against Gein. He turned, laughing. "Did you honestly think you could defeat me with one swing?!" He laughed. "You failed battousai!" The sound of running footsteps drew his attention back towards the dojo, the amused look on his face slipping. With a growl he straightened his left arm and prepared to fire an arrow at the approaching figure. "A child?! You think a _child_ is a fit opponent for me?! **DIE**!" He growled out, feeling insulted at the perceived slight to his abilities. To his shock the small crossbow on his wrist slid off of his wrist, falling to the ground with a soft thud.

Yahiko dashed forward, running swiftly he left the surprised shouts from Kaoru and Megumi behind. As he approached Hyouko he let out a shout as he jumped and swung his bokken, hitting Hyouko squarely on the shoulder and knocking him to the ground. "You're one to talk!" He growled out. "You didn't even know that your weapon was cut off and you think that you could fight Kenshin?! Get up you coward, you're fighting me now!"

Hyouko's expression turned thunderous. "You stupid boy!" He growled

X

Enishi adjusted his glasses as he watched the battle below unfold. He was quite impressed by the gutsiness of the boy that was squaring off against Hyouko, but there was one thing that was bothering him. Where was the battousai's nephew and the other girl? Did he hide them away somewhere?

* * *

Naruto growled in frustration as he listened to Hinata describe the current situation at the dojo. He didn't know what was worse, the fact that there was a three way battle going on where Yahiko was having to fight that sadistic bastard that they had encountered at the police chief's house or the fact that it wasn't him facing off against him. "How long until we get there?" He barked.

"Um…" she began, wincing as she turned her Byakugan off again in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable strain from over usage. "..at our current pace m-maybe three...four minutes."

"Damnit!" He growled. "Do you have a plan?" He asked as he lept to the next roof.

Hinata shook her head. "No."

"We can't just jump into the middle of their battles!" Misao said as she tightened her grip as Naruto leapt again. "If we do that, someone could get killed!"

"I know that, but we can't do nothing!" Naruto barked over his shoulder. "I'm not going to just stand back and watch!"

Hinata's brow furrowed as she glanced up. The hot air balloons were easy enough to see as the got closer. She turned slightly as an idea started to form in her head. "H-Hey…" She called, gaining both Naruto's and Misao's attention. "What about a distraction?"

Naruto perked up. "A distraction? Like what?" He asked.

"Yeah, a distraction might work." Misao said, liking the possibilities better than jumping in blind. "What are you thinking of?"

"Well…" Hinata said as she leapt again. "...w-we could use our arrival as the distraction while we tip the fight in our favor."

Misao's brow furrowed in confusion. "How on earth could we tip the fight in our favor if we are the distraction?"

"We set an ambush...or s-something along those lines." Hinata replied, sending a meaningful look at Naruto, who was mulling her idea over as he ran.

"And how are we supposed to do that?!" Misao exclaimed, believing that the other girl had lost it. "There is only three of us! How can we be the distraction and set up an ambush?!"

It took Misao's exclamation for all the pieces to click into place in his head, but when it did he started to chuckle.

"Why are you laughing?" Misao growled indignantly, which just caused the blond shinobi to laugh outright.

"Hey, Hinata!" He shouted excitedly. "I think I'm starting to rub off on you!" Hinata's blush and pleased smile went unnoticed as they leapt to the next roof. "So, how many do you think we need? Ten...twenty?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?!" Misao exclaimed, frustrated that they obviously knew something she didn't.

"We will need enough to contain the enemy and to sneak around behind the dojo to ensure that they have no escape routes open….plus a few more to maybe set a few traps?" Hinata replied, feeling unsure on the exact number that would be needed.

Naruto nodded his head as he mulled this over for a moment before starting to chuckle again. "Alright, I think I know how many we will need!" He said as he adjusted Misao slightly. "You're going to need to hold on tight for a moment, I need my hands." He said over his shoulder.

"Why? What are you doing?" Misao asked as she tightened her grip.

"My specialty!" Naruto said as he let go and formed a cross with his fingers and molding his chakra into his technic. " **Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" He exclaimed.

Misao's jaw dropped as dozens upon dozens of Naruto's appeared and dashed off to their right and left. "W-What did you just do?!"

"I told you, my specialty!" He replied chuckling at her reaction. His eyes got a mischievous glint as he turned his attention to the girl in front of him once again. "Hey Hinata, now about that distraction ….."

AN: Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a good holiday! Now, as far as the story goes, Jinchuu will be done in two maybe three parts, so the action is just beginning!


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Here it is, part two of the Jinchuu arc! I hope that the way I try to balance the canon pieces and original pieces is entertaining for everyone, so please enjoy! For those who are not familiar with RK, please read the manga!

Disclaimer: While the story idea is mine, the characters and their worlds are not and belong to their original creators only!

I would sincerely like to apologize for such a long delay. As we all know life can get in the way of our passions (like writing) and we have to do what we have to do as adults. I would also like to apologize if my fight scene writing isn't up to par. It's not easy for me to write what I feel is a good fight scene so please bare with me. XD

 **PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOT AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER! THANKS 3**

Chapter 18

Kenshin gripped his sword tightly trying desperately to keep ahold of it as he slid roughly across the ground. The slight whirring sound of Iwanbo's arm could be heard behind him. Getting to his feet again, he kept a careful eye on Iwanbo as he reassessed his opponent.

Gein's voice drifted down to him from the puppets mouth. "All the joints rotate freely on both the vertical and horizontal axis, it's what I like to call the joint-free mechanism." He said, a smug note coming into his voice as he spoke about his creation. "No matter how many opponents you have beaten in the past Battousai, this is the first time you have ever fought something that isn't even human!"

' _Isn't human….then there is no reason to hold back or show mercy_.' Kenshin thought as he adjusted his hold on his sword, flipping the blade in the process. As he prepared to attack he felt it. It was like a tickle at the edge of his awareness. He furrowed brow as he tried to place this feeling.

Moments later there was a blur of movement followed by a thud that kicked up a large cloud of dust drawing everyone's attention to where the dojo's gate once stood.

Kenshin eyed the slowly dissipating cloud of dust, being careful to keep Iwanbo within his peripheral vision. A second, softer thump followed by a muffled feminine 'ow' and a soft 'poof' had him blinking in surprise.

As the dust settled two figures could be made out. One was standing above the other, who was sitting on the ground and the obvious source of the second thump.

"Oh my…" Said a sugary sweet feminine voice. "...you weren't waiting for us too long were you?" 'She' giggled as her big blue doe eyes scanned the dojo's court yard taking in everyone's wide eyed, shocked expressions. She carefully kept her amusement at everyone's shocked expressions to herself as she started to make her way towards the closest enemy, her long blonde pigtails swaying behind her.

She knew that the shock of her appearance was only enhanced as the dust settled and seemed to float around her more _interesting_ assets. Batting her large blue eyes up at the large, muscular camo clad man she continued talking. "Oh, you're staring is making me blush!" She said as she shyly put her hands up to her burning cheeks. "Do you like what you see?" She asked sweetly, the tone of her voice deceptively innocent sounding. Her actions caused the blood dripping from his broken nose to trickle out faster.

Banjin stared, slack jawed and drooling, blood dripping in an uncontrolled stream from his nose, as the pretty, young and very _naked_ blonde girl moved towards him. Oh how he wished that the strange dust cloud swirling around her body would completely disappear so he could see all of what she had to offer. Quickly wiping at his bleeding nose he grinned down at the blonde girl. "Hey there cutie! Do you want to watch me wipe the floor with this loser over here?" He asked as he gestured towards Sano.

"Hey! Who are you calling a loser?!" Sano barked, the insult having snapped him out of his own shocked stupor.

Tearing his eyes from the girl that was slowly approaching him Banjin turned back to his opponent. "You thats who!" He barked back. "So, what do you say cutie?" He asked again as he turned back towards her.

She pouted her pink lips and tapped a delicately manicured finger against her chin as she pretended to think over the offer. "Well...I don't know…."

"Come on now, you know you want to watch a big strong man like me fight!" Banjin said, a kocky grin spreading on his face.

"Hummm…" She eyed him over critically. "...I think…."

"Yeah? What do you think cutie?" Banjin asked, his grin spreading as he leaned forward in anticipation.

"I think…" ' **POOF** ' "...that you're a dirty pervert!" Naruto exclaimed as he lept at the now completely stunned Banjin and punched him squarely in the face with a chakra laced fist sending flying back and crashing into the compounds outer wall.

" _He's_ a dirty pervert?! If he's a dirty pervert, what the hell does that make you?!" Misao exclaimed, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Yeah!" Yahiko barked at him. His own cheeks flushed a fiery red.

For a moment the area went still, the only sounds breaking the eerie silence was the ragged breathing from Hyougo's inert form and the painful groaning from Banjin. All eyes snapped to where Naruto had landed, taking in the disgruntled figure of Miaso who was standing with her arms crossed and foot tapping as she stared Naruto down for his perverted stunt.

"Misao?!" Everyone chorused surprised.

"Hey guys!" she replied as she turned her attention towards the dojo and waved. "You didn't think I would miss the chance to come and help did you?"

Naruto crossed his arms as he let out a derisive snort. "More like you forced yourself on us." He grumbled, frowning at the older girl.

Misao growled in frustration. "What was that?!" She barked at him as she turned her attention towards the blonde shinobi.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he eyed her. "You heard me!" He barked back.

"Why you…!" She growled, taking a step in his direction.

"Knock it off you two!" Kaoru yelled, interrupting the two teens. "Where's Hinata?" She asked as she scanned the area quickly.

Naruto turned towards Kaoru, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh, she's just, ya'know, tieing up a few loose ends." He said with a chuckle as he pointed over his shoulder at the still form of Hyougo, who was now neatly tied up with ninja wire.

Kenshin let out a breath as he watched Hinata emerged from the shadows of the compound wall and make her way over towards Misao. ' _They both made it, thank Kami._ ' He thought with relief. "It is good to see the two of you again, that it is. Although I am surprised to see you Misao-dono. I did not expect you to accompany them, that I did not."

"I told you we would make it Ji-san!" Naruto said, a grin still plastered to his face as he made his way back over to the girls. "You didn't doubt us did you?"

"If you're done with your little family reunion, we have some business to get back to Battousai." Gein said.

Kenshin looked back at him over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed. With a flick of his wrist he sheathed his sword. "Naruto, Hinata-dono are the two of you good to fight?"

"You bet we are!" Naruto said excitedly as he turned slightly. "Right Hinata?!"

Hinata blushed a little. ' _I can't let them down._ ' She thought. As she set her determination she gave a small nod. "Y-Yes. I can fight…."

Kenshin turned his back to Gein. "Good, I leave this one to you two then." He said as he started to calmly walk back towards the dojo.

"You would have me fight children Battousai?!" Gein shouted angrily, insulted by the turn of events.

Kenshin did not stop to look back. "I do not have time to play with toys." He replied, his voice cool and controlled. As Naruto and Hinata approached him, he placed out a hand to stop them. "Be careful with this opponent. The real man is hidden inside this mechanical puppet."

"Heh, this guy is hiding in a puppet huh?" Naruto said as he eyed Iwanbo. "Don't worry Ji-san, we got this."

Violet met determined blue for a moment. With a nod of his head Kenshin dropped his hand and allowed them to continue. "Remember what I told you..." He said as he turned and watched them approach their opponent.

"Yeah, yeah...I know!" Naruto replied, waving at his uncle over his shoulder as he walked.

Kenshin watched them for a long moment more before shifting his attention up to the hot air balloons above. "ENISHI!" He yelled. "I'm tired of waiting, why don't you stop watching and come down and face me!"

"There is no need to yell Battousai, unless you wish to wake the neighbors." Enishi replied as he looked down upon the battles below him. "You, the one that killed my sister, the one looking up to the heavens, have no right to order me around. I am the one in control here Battousai! Once all the opponents before you have been defeated, then and only then will I come down. Do not fret though Battousai, I will deliver my Jinchuu personally!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes up at the white haired man. "You better remember you said that, 'cause we are going to beat all these guys in no time!" He shouted.

"Yeah, you tell him kid!" Sano exclaimed as he cracked his knuckles and eyed Banjin as he struggled to pull himself out of the hole his body had made in the wall.

Enishi scoffed, a smug expression on his face. "Your nephew sure has a fierce bark Battousai. I wonder if his bite will live up to it's promise, or if you just sent him and that girl to their deaths."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You need not worry about them. They can handle themselves." He replied.

"We shall see now won't we Battousai? It would be fitting for you to watch your nephew die though, don't you think? Although I wonder how you two are related….through his father...or mother maybe?" Enishi's grin broadened as he watched Kenshin's expression as it darkened. "Ah...so you too have a beloved neesan. Too bad I can't kill her in front of your eyes like you did _mine_!"

Naruto's blood boiled at Enishi's words. " **SHUT UP**!" He roared, his expression dark and more feral than it was mere moments before. "How **DARE** you speak about either of my parents you **BASTARD**!"

Kenshin gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the white of his knuckles the only visible sign of his own growing anger. "Naruto calm yourself!" he called, his voice stern. "Do not let someone who knows nothing about honor and sacrifice get to you!"

Naruto's head whipped around towards Kenshin. "But..!"

"Kenshin-sensei is right Naruto-kun." Hinata said, her voice quiet and barely audible. She eyed Iwanbo warily as she continued. "H-He is trying to wryly up your emotions in hopes that you will get yourself killed. Do not give him that pleasure."

Naruto growled, his anger and frustration evident. "Fine." He replied. "Lets kick this guys ass then!" He said turning his attention to the large Iwanbo puppet.

Gein growled, angered by Naruto's remark. "Don't be presumptuous. You don't stand a chance boy, I am a master of my art!" He said. "I am Gein! I am the last descendant of a line of puppet masters that have worked to refine the arts of construction and mechanics since the middle ages!"

"You call that art?!" Naruto replied as he looked Iwanbo over. "That thing is ugly!"

"My Iwanbo model 3 wasn't built for beauty, it is a piece of perfected construction which is a completely different type of beauty boy! A lifetime of work went into this. The rubber surface, processed for maximum ductility, steel control wires, state of the art mechanics and joints! Made to withstand even the legendary Battousai himself!"

"Heh." Naruto scoffed as he took his bokken off of his back and settled into a fighting stance. "Well, I don't know about all that stuff that you were just talking about, but I'm not Ji-san and that thing doesn't stand a chance against me, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto dashed forward and with a quick leap went to hit Iwanbo's shoulder.

With a flick of his wrist, Gein had the puppets arm moving to block. Another twist of his hand and he had the puppets hand connecting with Naruto, batting him away and sending him sailing through the air.

With a crash Naruto landed roughly in a large pile of rubble. He let out a pained groaned. ' _Damn, that hurt_.' He thought as he extracted himself from the rubble..

"I told you boy, I designed this Iwanbo specifically to fight the Battousai! A weak child like you doesn't stand a chance!"

Naruto growled angrily. "And I told you that thing doesn't stand a chance against me!" He barked back as he charged forward again. Moving quickly he ducked under Iwanbo's arm and swung, making contact with the puppets side. His bokken sunk into it's side for a moment before reversing its trajectory, sending Naruto flying back again.

Hinata stayed off to the side, taking care to not draw Gein's attention towards her as she carefully studied Iwanbo's mechanics. Her Byakugan throbbed painfully, but she pushed herself to keep it activated. ' _I need to find it's weakness! It's the only way_!' She thought as she grimaced against the pain.

* * *

Kenshin watched as Naruto and Hinata's fight start from his position on the dojo's engawa. It was the most advantageous position as he had a good view of all three fights plus he could see the hot air balloons above. It was the main reason that he had joined Kaoru, Megumi and Misao on the engawa.

"What is he _doing_?" Kaoru hissed as she intently watched Naruto's battle unfold while the other fighters squared off and sized each other up.

"Ya mean besides being an idiot?" Misao said, groaning as she watched him fly into a large pile of rubble, landing with a crash.

"If I had to guess, he is testing his opponent." Kenshin replied.

"But he just keeps bouncing off!" Kaoru said as she turned towards him slightly. "What on earth could he be getting from that? And why isn't Hinata helping? She's just standing there, didn't you leave that guy to both of them?"

He nodded as his eyes narrowed slightly as he focused\ more intently for a moment. "Did you not notice that each of Naruto's attacks, while appearing similar, have made Gein use that puppet of his in a different way?" He asked.

Megumi turned her attention away from the fight to look at Kenshin. "There isn't anything special about that is there?" She asked curiously. "I mean most people would move and reacted at least a little differently to each new attack."

"You are correct Megumi-dono, that you are." He said as he nodded in agreement. "These variations in movement should show what the puppets limitations are, as well as possible weaknesses."

"What about Hinata?" Kaoru replied as she watched the battle. "She doesn't even have her bokken out to fight."

"While I do not know the full extent of her abilities, I do know one thing for sure." Kenshin replied as he grinned slightly before he continued. "She is using those eyes of hers to watch. If anyone will be able to see Iwanbo's weaknesses, it's her." He turned his attention away from the battle to look at her as he continued. "With Naruto using himself as a distraction Hinata-dono is free to assess the enemy without his realizing. To him, Naruto is nothing but a loud mouthed boy who's full of himself and Hinata-dono is nothing but a frightened girl in too deep. He has no way of knowing just how dangerous shinobi can be and no reason to suspect that he will, in fact, be beaten by those two."

* * *

Getting to his feet Naruto wiped a trickle of blood from the scrap on his face. "Is that all you got?!" He barked, a smirk on his face.

Gein frowned at the remark. "I should be the one asking you that boy." He replied. "The only thing good about this fight is the fact that I got to test the new mechanisms that I designed. Do you understand now that you and that wooden sword of yours don't stand a chance against me? It's hopeless for you to fight me!"

Naruto scoffed as he adjusted his hold on his bokken. "That's where you're wrong!" He exclaimed. "It's not hopeless, and if you think I'm going to run away like a coward you can forget it! I will never back down or run away from a coward like you! A grown man who hides himself away inside a doll! Why don't you come out and fight me like a real man!"

Gein growled to himself as he felt his own temper rise at the blonde shinobi's taunting. "If that is how you truly feel boy then I shall show you what this _doll_ can do!" He exclaimed as he sent Iwanbo's arm shooting out with the twist of his wrist in an attempt to grab the blonde boy.

Naruto dodged the puppets hand, letting it crash into the ground where he had stood. With a leap he landed on Iwanbo's extended arm and ran up it. As he reached the top of the puppets arm he jumped, bokken raised above his head, and aimed a hit towards Iwanbo's head.

With a quick flick of his other wrist Gein sent Iwanbo's other hand up to intersect. Grabbing Naruto from mid air he threw him, sending him flying back and crashing roughly into the ground where he bounced and rolled before the rubble stopped him.

Hinata eyed him worriedly as he pulled himself to his feet again. "Damn that hurts." He grumbled to himself.

"A-Are you alright Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she moved over towards him.

"Huh?" He blinked as he turned towards her. "Oh, yeah...I'm fine." He replied as he chuckled a little. Honestly, he had forgotten for a moment that Hinata was even around. Turning serious he looked back towards Iwabo. "So, did you see a way to defeat him?" He asked, taking care to keep his voice down so Gein wouldn't overhear him.

Hinata's expression turned grim. "G-Getting through that rubber skin isn't going to be possible with the bokkens...we are going to have to use kuani for that. Even then I-I'm not sure what kind of damage we will be able to do, the rubber l-looks to be reinforced. As far as the puppet itself, we need to jamb the mechanics some how."

"And that Gein guy?" He asked.

"H-He is in a steel cage located in the puppets torso. I-It will be hard to get to him, but not impossible if we can get through the outer layer." She replied.

A confident grin spread across his face as he took his bokken and strapped it across his back.

Gein's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing boy? Giving up?" He asked.

"Hey, you wish!" Naruto barked back. "I'm just done warming up!" He slid his hand into his weapons pouch and grabbed a couple of kunai as he eyed Hinata from his peripheral vision. "Ready?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Hinata replied, her voice set and firmer than usual as she too got out a few kunai.

Naruto's grin spread at her answer. "Ok then Hinata, let's go!" He said as he dashed forward, boosting his speed with chakra. Iwanbo's hand shot out towards him, which he quickly dodged and let loose the kunai he had in his hand. As he flipped over Iwanbo's foot that had moved to kick him, he watched as his kunai sunk into Iwanbo's rubber skin and didn't bounce back as the sharp metal blades sliced into the rubber. "Yatta!" Naruto cheered as he landed on his feet, sliding back from his momentum. "It worked!"

Hinata let Naruto take the lead. While he was engaging the enemy she used Geins distraction to her advantage as she moved around to the other side of the giant puppet. Letting loose her own kunai she watched as they sunk into Iwanbo's rubbery surface up to their handles. A small smile formed on her face at Naruto's excited exclamation from the enemy's other side. ' _Hmmm…. I wonder…_ ' She thought as she moved, taking care to stay in Iwanbo's blind spot. Palming another kunai she prepared to throw it, this time adding a little chakra to reinforce the blade. With a quick flick of her wrist she sent the kunai sailing towards Iwanbo where it embedded into it's back...and completely disappeared as it sliced through the rubber outer layer as well as the thinner, malleable wire reinforcement under its skin.

Gein's eyes widened as a metallic scraping sound rang out around him as Hinata's kunai sliced through the outer layers of the puppet before embedding itself in the protective metal cage around him. With a few quick twists and of his wrists he disengaged from the blonde boy and sent Iwanbo's arms shooting around behind him.

"Naruto-kun! Reinforce your kunai!" Hinata called as she turned to look in the blonde's direction. Movement in her peripheral vision had her snapping her head back around and jumping to dodge as one of Iwanbo's hands as it shot out from it joint towards her. As she flipped in mid air Iwanbo's other had shot out and grabbed her, tossing her roughly into the nearby rubble.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted, concerned as he watched her land with a loud crash.

"Stupid girl!" Gein growled out angrily. "You think you can beat me with those little knives of yours?!"

Naruto's eyes snapped back towards the puppet at Geins words. "You bastard!" He growled out angrily. So what if he had been tossed around like a sack of rice, he could take it, but he would be damned if he would just sit back and let Gein treat Hinata like that. Palming a kunai as he dashed forward, dodging the hand that shot out towards him and with a quick leap, with a twist of his body he easily dodged the second hand as well. As he landed on the puppets extended arm he laced the kunai with chakra and dragged it along the rubber skin, slicing it away to expose the steel cables and mechanics hidden underneath.

' _Damn that boy_!' Gein thought in frustration as he retracted the other arm and shot it at Naruto again.

Naruto could see the hand shooting towards him as he reached Iwanbo's shoulder, with a grin his dug out a different kunai. Quickly activating the seal tag that was attached he charged the kunai with a little chakra and sent it flying towards Iwanbo's head. With a quick flip he sailed over Iwanbo's hand before landing on the ground.

The kunai flew true, landing right between Iwanbo's eyes and slicing through the rubber like butter before shredding its way into the puppets head. As the kunai embedded itself on a thick piece of steel within Iwanbo's skull the last of the explosive note burned away.

 **BOOM**

Gein's eyes widened as the explosion rocked the puppet. Heat blasted down on him followed by thick, choking smoke. He coughed and gasped for air. Blinded by both the smoke and watering eyes. He cried out in pain as red hot melted rubber dripped down onto him, burning through his hood and mask. Another coughing fit wracked his body, he know he had to get out or suffocate on the thick, putrid smoke. For the first time he cursed himself for his over confidence in his design. The only exit was through the melted rubber and burning hot steel above. His head swam, his vision blurred and narrowed as blackness edged into his vision. Dropping the control wires he reached out, desperation driving him to climb out to fresh air.

Hinata climbed to her feet, scraped and a little bruised from the impact, but otherwise alright. She warily eyed the smoking remains of Iwanbo's head as Naruto made his way over to her.

"You ok?" He asked as he reached her.

She gave him a quick nod. "Y-Yes." She replied. A long moment passed as they both assessed the smoking puppet before them.

Naruto scowled at Iwanbo as it just sat there, smoke curling up to the sky from it's head. "What do you think he's going to do now?" He asked.

"I...I don't know…." She replied.

They both instinctively reached for kunai as the puppet shuddered and the rest of the head fell back and away as Gein emerged, coughing and hacking and wheezing as he desperately tried to suck in fresh air.

"You ready to fight face to face now you coward?!" Naruto barked as he slid into a fighting stance.

Gein's body shook with wracking coughs. "N-No…" He choked out as the world spun around him. Gasping he pulled himself the rest of the way out of his puppet and half jumped and half fell, landing in a graceless lump on the ground. "...I can not fight...like this…" He gasped.

Warily they approached him as another bout of coughing wracked his body. With a quick glance and a nod Hinata stepped forward, a length of ninja wire in hand to secure Gein. Ensuring the puppet master was out of the fight, and would cause no more trouble for them.

* * *

Enishi frowned darkly at the scene below. Gein, a supposed master of the mechanical arts, was beaten by two _children_ ….mainly by _his_ nephew of all things. His fist clenched at his side as he controlled the growing rage boiling through his veins. His expression darkened further, his frown turning to a sneer at his own foolishness for underestimating those two and the damage that his oversight has now cause his plans…..but it didn't matter. The Battousai will still pay, and pay dearly. He would make sure of it. '... _I swear to you neesan_ ….'

* * *

Sano's attention drifted for moment as Naruto crashed roughly in a pile of debris outside the compounds ruined gate. He could here him barking a challenge at the giant puppet before charging in once again. His eyes quickly flickered over to Yahiko, who was squaring off against his opponent before moving to the dojo where Kenshin now stood, talking in hushed whispers with the girls.

Banjin cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as he eyed Sano, before his own attention moved over to the dojo. "Don't think for a moment you're going to be able to stop me, the Battousai will be mine!" He said, an eager, feral grin on his face.

Sano snapped his attention back towards him. "Yeah right! I'm your opponent, not Kenshin...and anyway, I gotta beat your ass so that Kenshin can get at Enishi!" He replied as he slid into a fighting stance.

"I'd like to see you try!" Banjin scoffed as he too slid into a fighting stance. "I told you before that you are no match for my new invincible tekkou!"

"Oh yeah?!" Sano smirked dangerously. "Well let's test them out then!" He said as he charged forward, meeting Banjin head on.

Banjin threw a punch, which Sano dodged with a quick feint and threw a quick jab, catching Banjin right in the face. "You think you're so tough, but you're not!" Sano growled out as he moved back slightly. "I mean we all saw what Naruto did to ya and he's just a kid!"

Banjin snarled. "That brat caught me off guard that's all!"

Sano smirked. "Off guard?" He scoffed. "You make it sound like he just gave you a bloody lip! Did you see the crater you made in the wall?" He asked. "And damnit, I'm probably going to be the one who has to fix it too!" He roared as he charged forward, fist cocked back ready to strike.

Banjin roared as he moved to meet Sano, blocking his punch and throwing one of his own. They threw punch after punch, blocking and countering with lightning speed. They continued in this way for several minutes before disengaging and squaring off once more.

"Hey, not bad…" Banjin said, wiping the blood from his face. "...but you still can't beat me."

"Yeah, yeah….you keep saying that! Going on and on about how invincible your tekkou are!" Sano growled. "But those tekkou are obviously compensating for something...like maybe a brain?!" Sano shouted as he charged again.

"What?! Are you calling me an idiot?!" Banjin snarled as he blocked Sano's punch and countered.

Sano smirked as he block the blow and countered with another punch. "If the shoe fits…"

"I'll show you!" Banjin snarled angrily as he moved back and away from Sano before charging forward again, launching himself into a twisting flip into the air above Sano, much to his shock. Banjin reached out as he sailed over head and grabbed Sano by the neck and as he landed thew him with all his might into the compounds outer wall where Sano landed with a crash. His body creating a crater not a meter from where Banjin landed. "There now!" Banjin said, grinning madly. "Now you have two craters to fix!"

 **BOOM**

The explosion shook the courtyard drawing Banjin's attention to the battle outside the compound walls where a billowing cloud of smoke rose from what was once Iwanbo's head.

"Ya' know it's bad manners not to pay attention to your own fight." Sano growled as he extracted himself from the rubble.

Banjin turned, giving him a dirty look. "Who are you to talk to me about manners?!" He growled, a grin spreading across his face once again. "Your a lot tougher than you look! How did you like my three step move? Its called the Ashurasai!"

"Not bad." Sano said gasping a little as he casually as he wiped away a trickle of blood. "Thought you would pack more of a punch though...all things considered."

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Banjin growled angrily as he slid into his fighting stance.

"It means…" Sano snarled as he slid into his own stance. "...that a loud mouth braggart who only picks fights with those he thinks are weaker than him, who knows nothing about what it means to push his limits and to sacrifice himself to become stronger, will not beat my Futae no Kiwami!" He roared as he charged forward.

Banjin prepared himself to block, his tekkou raised for the impact.

Sano pulled his fist back and let loose his Futae no Kiwami cracking Banjin's tekkou and sending a shockwave through his arms.

Banjin howled in pain, taking his attention off of his opponent who took advantage of the opening by grabbing the front of his shirt and headbutting him, rendering him unconscious.

Sano looked down at the man at his feet. His body ached, his breathing was labored from at least one cracked rib and blood dripped from his hand from using the Futae no Kiwami. He had won. He wiped the blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes traveled out to where the explosion had happened and grinned at the sight of Naruto and Hinata, a little dirty and scratched up but alive and otherwise well, making their way through the broken demolished gate towards him. ' _That makes two…_ ' He thought as he turned his attention over to where Yahiko was fighting just as Kaoru cried out to him.

* * *

Kenshin's eyes flick between the fights. He felt it, the ill suppressed movement of power. It caused the hairs to stand up on the back of his neck and sent a shiver down his spine. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he realized that he recognized the feel of the power that was surrounding them, it was the same as before. With a sigh he made a mental note to teach him how to suppress his KI when this was over.

"What is it Kenshin?" Kaoru asked as she spared him a quick glance.

"It seems," He began, his voice low. "that the board has been set."

Kaoru's brow furrowed but she refused to remove her attention from Yahiko again. "What?"

"You will see soon enough, that you will." He replied.

 **BOOM**

The force of the blast from Naruto's fight rang through the courtyard with enough force to cause the dojo to shake under their feet and the dojo's door to rattle loudly behind them.

"Explosives! Where the hell did he get explosives?!" Misao exclaimed.

* * *

Hyouko sneered at the sound of Banjin's moronic bantering from across the courtyard. "Idiot." He muttered, refusing to take his eyes off of the boy in front of him.

Yahiko's frown deepened. "What was that?!" He growled, his grip reflexively tightening on his bokken as he spoke.

"I am surrounded by idiots." Hyouko replied angrily. "I should be fighting Battousai but instead I am facing a _child_." He growled. "Not that killing you won't be interesting. I suppose it will serve as a warm up for later."

"Yeah right!" Yahiko growled. "You're the one that's going to be defeated here, not me!"

Hyouko couldn't help but grin. "Such brave words, but do you really believe you can beat me with a wooden sword?" He scoffed. "That is really presumptuous of you boy."

Yahiko grinned at him, though his eyes remained determined. "I don't need more than a wooden sword to beat someone like you!"

Hyouko growled low in annoyance. "You're just as much of an idiot as those two over there if you believe that you actually stand a chance against me. I suppose I should drag out your death a bit for that. Killing you out right would be too easy. So, how would you like to die? Should I shoot you with needles, burn you with acid….may be a nice potent poison?" He asked, amused and the fear that flickered through the boys eyes. "Those wouldn't be much fun for me though." He said as he reached up and behind him. "I think I will play with you a bit first. How does that sound boy?" He asked as he drew a sword from the sheath hidden under the back of his light blue kimono.

Yahiko scoffed. "Let's go!" He said as he shifted his stance slightly before charging forward with a yell. He was surprised as Hyouko blocked his bokken with his sword and the sword did not cut through the wood. ' _His sword is not even sharp enough to cut a bokken_!' He thought as he moved back and blocked Hyouko's sloppy counter attack and quickly launched another attack of his own. Back and forth they went trading blows and countering attacks. Yahiko could feel his confidence growing as the battle went on. Hyouko's footwork was sloppy and his attacks and counters were flawed at best. It was pathetic just how _bad_ Hyouko was in kenjutsu and it made Yahiko wonder why he thought he would even stand a chance against Kenshin in the first place.

 **BOOM**

The explosion from outside the compound shook the courtyard. Yahiko could hear the bang of the dojo's door as it rattled in its frame.

Yahiko grinned as he backed away slightly, using the distraction of the explosion to gain some space between them. He eyed Hyouko critically as he adjusted his grip on his bokken and prepared once again to charge in but was stopped by Kaoru's shout.

"Wait Yahiko!" Kaoru shouted from the dojo's engawa. "He's a master in the use of assassin tools, don't get too close to him!"

Hyouko grinned as he raised his sword with his right hand as his left slipped into his pocket and pulled out a small glass bottle. "You should really listen to your sensei boy!" He said with a grin as he tossed the glass bottle to the ground as Yahiko's feet where it shattered, releasing a small purple cloud that quickly encompassed the boy causing him to choke slightly as he tried to breath.

Yahiko reflexively covered his mouth and nose seconds too late to prevent himself from breathing in a small amount of the purple substance. ' _W-What is this?!_ ' He thought as he quickly back peddled to try and get out of the small cloud.

Hyouko smirked as the cloud dissipated. "Don't worry, it won't kill you." He said as he raised his sword to attack. "I will."

Yahiko's eyes widened as Hyouko attacked with more speed and accuracy than he had only moments before. ' _What is going on?!_ ' He thought as he desperately tried to evade Hyouko's sword.

"What's wrong boy? Can't keep up with me any more?" He asked, as he charged forward again.

"Dammit!"Yahiko growled in frustration as he hastily deflected Hyouko's sword. Moving quickly he towards the side his eyes widening in alarm as Hyouko's sword seemed to bend and follow him. Scurrying back he tried desperately to put more space between them as the tip of the sword grew closer.

He yelped in surprise as his foot slipped and the world started to spin as he fell to the ground.

"Yahiko, look out!" Kaoru cried out from the dojo. ' _No….there's no possible way an ameture could do a move like that….that….that's got to be the swords own power_!'

Yahiko raised his bokken just as the sword reached him. He cried out in pain as the tip of the sword slid along his bokken and implanted itself in his shoulder.

Hyouko growled as he pulled his sword free. "That was a lucky block." He said as he backed up slightly. "The next attack won't miss."

Yahiko pressed his hand to his shoulder as he squinted up at the man standing before him. "Like hell it won't!." He growled. His eyes flickered across the courtyard at the sound of approaching foot steps.

 **Author's note:** PLEASE REVIEW! XD Thank you all for your patience with me :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Yes yes I know, evil cliffy! Please review and tell me what you think or if you have an idea you would like to see for a future arc in the story! XD

Would anyone be interested in a writing challenge? I could either post a summary that you would need to base your story on or I could write the opening chapter and then it would be up to you to continue it. What do you think? Leave your thoughts in a review and depending on the response I will issue (or not) the challenge. So make sure to favorite me as an author so you will get the notification when/if I post it. I will say this, it would be a Naruto/Rurouni Kenshin crossover. I really don't think there are enough of them out there and I really like reading other people's work XD. I will set a deadline of May 5, 2017 (my birthday!) to respond with a yay/nay on this idea and which you would like (summary or opening chapter).

Bad girl 61: I hope you enjoyed the bit of comic relief with Naruto's 'distraction'!

Uzumaki no Rinne-Sennin: In canon yes, the name Kenshin was given to him by Hiko but I am doing a play on that. Instead of Kenshin having been Shinta Himura and receiving the name Kenshin when Hiko took him under his wing, he was Kenshin Uzumaki and changed his last name as many of the surviving Uzumaki did after Uzu was destroyed.


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